


The Nightingales

by StarsAndCrows



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Drama & Romance, Family, Friendship, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:21:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 84,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26027875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarsAndCrows/pseuds/StarsAndCrows
Summary: Haruno Sakura has just moved into 10B. Her new neighbors, the Uchiha brothers, are determined to show her the might of super-heroes. AH. OOC.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi, Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 38
Kudos: 135





	1. Apartment 10A

**Author's Note:**

> What you can expect from this story: Sakura is not useless, Itachi is not modest, and Sasuke is a sweetie pie the way he was before Itachi murdered the clan in canon. Naturally, I thought Sasuke will remain a sweetie pie if the massacre had never taken place. Naruto is not the God-like hero he ends up becoming by the end of canon. Although, he is still the same optimistic, smiling fella with a short-fuse when it comes to all Sasuke-related things.
> 
> Kakashi and Obito are an important part of the story, though their appearances are limited. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story. As the summary says, "super-heroes" are references to the awesome Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. Please note that they do not become part of the story as characters.

Haruno Sakura has just moved into her new apartment, a decent sized two-bedroom place with a small balcony that overlooks the side street, on the tenth floor of a fairly new apartment building. The neighbourhood is purely residential with buildings lined up on both sides of the street.

The lease on her old place had gotten over and the landlord told her that his son was coming back home to stay for good. Sakura doesn't know if that's true or not but it didn't matter because the place was quite old and the landlord was a pain in the ass at times. Not to mention, the rent was not justified at all.

The new place, however, is closer to her workplace than the old one had been, and Sakura recently invested in a car for commute. She reckons she'd need one eventually and since she's saving up on rent, might as well use that for another essential commodity.

It takes her three days to completely unpack all of her things and make the place liveable. Thankfully, the mattress had been hers and she'd carried it with the rest of her stuff while moving so that sleeping didn't become an issue.

It's her sixth day in the new apartment when she runs out of milk for her coffee. Sighing and mentally cursing, she places the mug back on the breakfast bar and rubs her forehead with her hand. She has to leave for work soon but she really needs a caffeine fix and there's not one coffee place nearby. She supposes that she can always pick one up on her way but that would require waiting in line and a quick glance at the clock tells her that she doesn't have it.

Now, Sakura does have neighbours. There's someone who lives across the hall but she doesn't know who because she's never actually seen them. She's heard noises over the only weekend that she's been here until now and she hasn't bothered to see who it was.

Cursing once again, she picks up her mug and goes across the hall to 10A. She knocks thrice on the door and waits. There's some shuffling and muffled voices on the other side and the door opens to reveal a man in his twenties with black hair and eyes, and looks like Sai. He's wearing a T-shirt and a pair of denim pants.

"Yes?"

Sakura tries for a smile. "Hi, I'm the new neighbour," she says and sticks out her hand. "Sakura."

He slowly shakes it, still eyeing her up with a tiny frown on his face. "Sasuke."

"I'm really sorry to bother you but could I have some milk?" she purses her lips together in embarrassment and holds up her mug. "I ran out."

Sasuke's eyebrows shoot up as if he never would have guessed for such a possibility ever occurring. Sakura isn't sure which possibility is he referring to – his neighbour asking for milk, or milk ever running out. Maybe both, she supposes.

"Sure." He steps aside to let her in.

Sakura looks around. It's the same size as her apartment, a mirror copy, but the furniture is a bit on the expensive side. There's a sofa set in the middle of the living area facing a sleek black TV on the opposite wall. A large bookshelf is placed nearby bursting with the number of books. There are weird assortment of ornamental pieces scattered around, two working desks with laptops on them, and the open kitchen in the corner divided from the living area by a breakfast bar.

Sasuke has already moved to the kitchen and is grabbing the milk from the refrigerator. He motions with a hand to come over.

"Take a seat," he says.

Surprised at the gesture, Sakura makes her way to one of the stools and sits. Sasuke's mug is to her left.

"Coffee person?" she asks as he pours some milk in her mug. "Thanks."

"Big time," he replies, screwing the cap back on the milk. He returns it to the refrigerator and shuts the door with his hip. "Breakfast?" he asks with raised eyebrows.

Sakura knows that he's not "making the moves" on her. His entire demeanour screams that he's not interested in her in that way, and is genuinely being nice and neighbourly.

"Thanks, but I already had a sandwich."

He shrugs and takes his seat on the breakfast bar again. He doesn't move to make any breakfast for himself.

"Since when do you stay here?" She asks him, taking another sip. She has maybe five minutes to spare at most if she wants to make it to work on time. The only reason why she even decided to sit was because he'd offered and it would have been rude to ask for milk and leave immediately.

"Three … four years," he answers. "You moved here last week, right?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't see any moving trucks though," he says thoughtfully. "Do you not have a lot of stuff?"

That and … "I actually moved in some time during the middle of the day. I doubt a lot of people were here."

He nods in acceptance. "We must have been at work, in that case. I just heard you at times in the apartment. It's been empty for a few months now so it wasn't difficult to surmise that someone moved in."

"We?" Sakura prompts. She'd heard some noises before Sasuke had opened the door but since he was the only one here, she thought he could have been on the phone.

"Yeah," Sasuke says. "My brother. He's in the shower."

"Ah." She drains the rest of her coffee and gets to her feet. Sasuke doesn't move. "I better get going. I'll be late for work."

He nods and holds out his mug in an imitation of a toast. "See ya. Let me know if you need any help or anything. You know, neighbourly stuff."

Sakura chuckles. "Hard to believe your previous neighbour left. You're quite good at this."

Sasuke smirks. "I know."

She laughs again and waves her hand in goodbye. Once she's back in her apartment, she rinses her coffee mug, grabs her jacket, purse, phone, keys, and quickly leaves. On her way to work, she wonders what neighbourly stuff she could do in return for the milk. Maybe inviting them over for dinner some time? Or breakfast, since that's a quick affair.

* * *

"Is he hot? Single? Asked you out? Flirted?" Ino fires question after question when Sakura tells her about the morning events during their lunch break.

Sakura rolls her eyes. " _No_. He seems to be a decent guy who helped me out."

"What does he do? He's not some closet freak, is he? Did his apartment have any weird stuff?"

Sakura pauses. The strange ornamental pieces come to mind but they seem harmless. Besides, who would keep weird stuff right in their living room? "I don't think so. And I don't know what he does, either. I didn't ask."

"Maybe he's unemployed?" she suggests thoughtfully.

"I don't think that, either," Sakura answers. "He was wearing jeans. No unemployed person wears jeans in the morning at home if they have nowhere to go. He might be working in a place where there is no formal dress code."

"Maybe," Ino agrees hesitantly. "Are you going to ask them to come over?"

Sakura plays around her salad with the fork and thinks over her reply. "I'm thinking of it. A breakfast invitation on a workday so that they don't get the wrong idea. They can eat and leave."

"Isn't that a bit rude?" Ino's nose scrunches up. "It sounds like you're doing it just for the sake of it."

"It does?" Sakura sighs, and silently agrees with Ino since that _was_ her plan in the first place. She just hoped that it didn't come out that way. "Damn. I guess dinner it is."

"You don't have to, you know," Ino reminds her. "Just because you took some milk doesn't mean you're suddenly expected to do things in return like this."

"I suppose," she sighs again. "I've never had decent neighbours. This is hard."

Ino slaps her arm lightly. Sakura glares at the uninvited gesture. "Chill the fuck out," Ino tells her and rolls her eyes. "You literally just met the guy today. Don't plan your entire dynamics yet. You might end up living there for a few years, so don't mess it up by hurrying things."

"You're right," Sakura mutters lowly. She eats another forkful before directing the conversation to Tenten – someone they both dislike from their workplace.

It does the trick as Ino launches into another hateful rant about the woman and Sakura nods along, giving her own input from time to time.

* * *

The next morning, Sakura curses loudly at herself. She goes across the hall once more.

Sasuke opens the door wearing a T-shirt and jeans again. He smirks as soon as he sees the mug she's holding.

"Come in."

"Thanks," she sighs and enters after him.

He's having his own morning cup of coffee at the breakfast bar again, and his brother is once again missing. She sits down on one of the stools. She does have some time to spare this morning, thankfully, and her approach to Sasuke was out of laziness more than anything else.

"Sorry," she apologizes when he pours the milk and screws the cap back on. "I forgot to buy it yesterday. Hectic day. Too tired."

"No worries." He takes his seat beside her on the stool. "What do you do, anyway? Your clothes are quite casual."

Sakura laughs as she pointedly looks at his black T-shirt that has the picture of some weird green monster. She's seen that character in kids' stores.

"Touché," he chuckles.

"I'm a surgeon," Sakura tells him and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Uniform's at the hospital, obviously."

He nods. "That's impressive. Never would have pegged you for a doctor."

Sakura's face scrunches up. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Sasuke immediately realises that he's said the wrong thing. "I don't mean it … like that. I wasn't trying to offend. It's just that … aren't doctors supposed to be anal about everything? And you seem … normal." He shrugs by the end of his speech.

Sakura has gone from defensive to confused to amused in mere seconds. "Not everyone is. Besides, that's a prejudice you hold. All professions have some anal people."

"Yeah, but doctors have more numbers," he tells her as if he's researched about it.

"Sure," she says, unconvinced. "I always thought IT people are anal."

Now Sasuke definitely looks offended. "Hey," he says vehemently. "I'm in IT. And we're not stuck up at all. Are you not seeing what I'm wearing?" He gestures to his clothes.

"Yeah what is that?" Sakura points at his shirt. "I've seen that in kids' stores."

Sasuke's eyes widen in shock as if he can't believe someone would not know this green human (?) person – either that, or he can't believe Sakura basically implied that he is childish for wearing something like that.

"For your information," he begins icily, "this is not a _thing_. He's the Incredible Hulk from MCU. And it's not kiddish at all. MCU has a great fan following and I can't believe you don't know who Hulk is! I mean, _everyone_ knows!"

"Eh …" Sakura trails off uncertainly. Clearly, Sasuke is very taken by whatever the hell MCU and Holk is – the green coloured questionably human dude – and Sakura is at a complete loss as to what to say. Moreover, he's one of those software people whom Sakura honestly believes to be stuck-up asses. Sasuke is kind of acting like one, too.

Maybe the breakfast invitation can wait.

Sasuke shakes his head, still in disbelief at her lack of what he believes to be important knowledge. Sakura wonders whether she should start naming all the bones in a human hand and how to fracture one with the least amount of pressure at what point when one of the doors in the apartment opens and both Sasuke and Sakura turn instinctively towards the sound.

A tall, handsome man is staring at them in confusion. He's obviously Sasuke's brother with black hair and black eyes. However, his hair is long enough that he's tied it in a bun on top of his head. His skin is tanned, not caramel quite yet, but clearly implying he's quite the outdoorsy kind of a person. He's wearing a formal fitting black shirt tucked in light grey trousers. His shoes are shiny and clean, not one speck of dirt visible.

"Hello," he says and looks at Sasuke inquisitively.

"This is Sakura," Sasuke introduces. "I told you. The new neighbour."

The man nods and starts making his way towards them. "Right. The milk thief."

Sakura frowns at him as he reaches them and moves to take his own cup from one of the cupboards. "It's not stealing when I ask for it."

The brother shrugs. "Don't be so quick to defend."

"Don't be so quick to judge," she shoots back instantly.

The man pauses in his task of pouring milk in his own cup. "My bad. I'm Itachi. My foolish little brother forgot his manners."

Sakura frowns again. "You called me milk thief the moment you came out," she reminds him. "I'm Sakura."

"You take offense very easily, Sakura," he tells her, now leaning against the island on the opposite side to sip at his coffee.

Sakura snorts and waves one hand in Sasuke's direction. "He was just telling me about Holk in a rather passionate way."

"Hulk," both of them correct her at the same time.

She stares between the two of them for a moment. Then gulps. "Wonderful."

"She's a surgeon," Sasuke informs his brother even though he didn't ask.

Itachi's eyebrows shoot up similar to how Sasuke's had. "Impressive."

"Right?" Sasuke chuckles. He turns to Sakura. "I thought you might be into admin. Back office stuff since you were wearing capri pants."

Sakura gives him 'wtf' look. "I'm surprised you even know what capri means."

Sasuke rolls his eyes at her. "I'm not stupid."

"Sure," Itachi says in a flat tone that has Sakura laughing. Sasuke glares at him.

"Anyway," Sasuke drawls in a purposeful way to change the topic. "I was thinking if you want to come over on the weekend?"

"What's on the weekend?"

Sasuke shrugs and stands up to take his mug to the sink. "We're calling some friends over. It's nothing big, just a casual get together." He rinses his mug and places it on the drying rack. "Since you're new, I thought it would be a nice time to get to know each other better. You know, more neighbourly stuff."

Despite herself, Sakura laughs again. Sasuke seems determined to do all the neighbourly things and she supposes that she doesn't really have a reason not to try. Her old apartment had the shittiest neighbours anyone could have asked for, and really, what's the worst that could happen? The brothers seem normal enough, even with Sasuke's maybe-obsession with kid things.

"Sure," she agrees. "Wait. I'm gonna have to check my shift schedule."

"Alright," Sasuke says. Itachi is done with his coffee, too, and he's moving away from the pair of them to start grabbing his things. "It's Saturday night. Come whenever."

"Cool."

Sakura is already standing up as well. "What's the time?"

"8.05." It's Itachi who answers. He's clearly waiting for Sasuke to get his things because now Sasuke is shrugging on a jacket.

"Shoot. I'm going to be late."

Sakura rushes from their apartment to her own. Not bothering to wash her coffee mug, she takes her stuff and locks the door behind her. To her surprise, Sasuke and Itachi are waiting outside the elevator for her with Sasuke holding the door open.

"Thanks." She hurries in after them.

"For someone who holds people's lives in their hands," Itachi begins and Sakura _knows_ it's another judgement again, "you sure are rather tardy."

Sakura rolls her eyes. "What is it that you do?" she asks pointedly.

"Here we go," Sasuke mutters from her left.

"I'm actually a CEO. Surely, you must have heard of Uchiha Corp.?" Itachi asks arrogantly.

"You're shitting me, right?" Sakura looks at Sasuke for confirmation. He shakes his head sombrely.

"I assure you that I'm not," Itachi sniffs.

Sakura blinks in shock. Uchiha Corp. recently rose to fame as one of the delivery services. Of course, it's not as big as Amazon, but it's on its way. As far as Sakura knows, they deliver in the major cities in the country. Sakura has ordered a few items from their webpage a couple of times when she was bored.

"I thought you'd have more money," Sakura comments without thinking. Surely, he must be making decent amount of money if his company is becoming popular.

The elevator doors open to the main lobby.

"I thought you'd have more money, too," Itachi replies smoothly.

Sakura does have a good paycheck since her internship got over and residency began. Although … "Medical schools aren't cheap, you know," she tells them as the three of them make their way to the outside street. The apartment building doesn't have a parking space of its own. They have to park outside in the street. "I'm still paying off the debt."

It would be another year before she's successfully paid off her debt, subject to conditions, obviously. Such as staying on her financial plan faithfully and not going off the rails.

"That's enough for today," Sasuke cuts in before Itachi can make another comment. "Sakura, let me know about Saturday, yeah?"

Sakura nods. "I will."

"Perfect." He waves at her and nudges Itachi to do the same.

Sakura purses her lips to stop from giggling at Itachi's annoyed face. Clearly, Sasuke hasn't rubbed off on him at all. To think that he was the one chiding Sasuke over manners earlier in the apartment.

Sakura waves back and leaves.

* * *


	2. The Group

The next three days pass by in a blur and it's already Saturday.

Sakura informed Sasuke that she 'd be able to make it for the casual dinner at his place on the morning after he had asked, when she went over for coffee again on Thursday. She didn't make it home that night due to a traffic accident that brought in five patients – all requiring surgeries – so she took a nap in the hospital's on-call room when she had a chance to do so. Friday went by in a similar fashion when she spent her time making sure the post-op patients didn't take a turn for the worse. Her set of interns were still fairly new; she couldn't leave it completely up to them.

Sakura knocks on the door of 10A on Saturday night. She's a little later than promised. She can hear loud chatter from the inside but it's hard to make out what is being said. A few moments later, the door opens and Sasuke eyes her warily.

She feels dead on her feet.

"I came from the hospital just now," she informs him tiredly. "Long, _long_ shifts."

In fact, she'd taken a quick shower at the hospital itself and she was wearing the emergency clothes that she'd stuffed in her locker. She hasn't even been to her own apartment yet. Sakura is sure that if she enters her flat, she might just give in and pass out on the couch. The only reason she hasn't done that already is because she likes Sasuke and Sasuke was nice enough to offer her a chance.

"Come in," he invites and steps aside. His hands are tense as if readying himself to catch her the moment she stumbles.

Sakura feels a rush of gratitude. "Thanks."

There are four people gathered in the living area, who all look up at her as she moves further inside the apartment. Sasuke shuts the door behind her and comes to a stand on her left.

"Guys, this is Sakura," he introduces. "Sakura, these are my friends. You already know my brother."

Itachi is sitting between two people. "You look dead," is his greeting.

"Thanks," Sakura says wearily.

Sasuke tsks at their exchange. "That's Naruto," he points at the blonde one who is grinning at her from ear to ear. He's sitting on Itachi's right side. "That's Shikamaru," Sasuke points to the one on Itachi's left. The man has an afro that he's tied in a high ponytail and looks bored out of his mind. "That's Hinata," Sasuke points at the last unknown person. She's actually very pretty with inky blue long hair and grey eyes. She's sitting on the other piece of the sofa set, near Shikamaru, and offers Sakura a shy smile.

"Hey," Sakura greets. "I'm the new neighbour." Itachi rolls his eyes. Sakura ignores him.

"Yeah, teme told us," Naruto says excitedly. "Why are you still standing? Come and sit!" He wiggles a little to make room for her. Itachi throws him a look that goes without any acknowledgement on the blonde's part. "He said you're a doctor! That's so exciting! What kind of a doctor are you?"

Sakura sits in the offered space. "Cardiothoracic surgeon. I'm still doing my residency, though."

Naruto blinks at her stupidly. "Eh… what does that mean?"

Surprisingly, it's Shikamaru who answers. "She's training to be a heart, lungs, and throat surgeon. Basically, chest stuff."

"Fuck," Naruto breathes. "You must be super smart."

Sakura shrugs consciously, not knowing what to say to that. She's already very tired and doesn't really want to have much of a conversation. She'd be happy to sit and observe from the background. Thankfully, she doesn't have to go to the hospital until four in the evening the next day.

"You want a drink?" Sasuke, the life-saver, asks her. He's standing near the island and now that she sees, there's a whole array of alcohol to choose from.

"I love you," she declares and stands up.

He laughs. As she makes her way over, the conversation behind her restarts with Naruto continuing their earlier topic on something called Thanos.

"What about them?" Sakura asks him with a shake of her head in the others' direction.

"We already had some," Sasuke answers. "But yeah, I should ask again." He takes a step away from her. "Guys? Anyone want another drink?"

Sakura picks out a wine bottle, grabs a nearby glass, and pours in a decent amount of it. She makes a grab for the bottle of rum just as Itachi does.

"What are you making?" he asks and takes the bottle first.

"Sangria."

"Without the juice and fruits? Not to mention, without using a cocktail shaker, as well." He hands her the bottle, regardless, after he's done taking his share.

Sakura rolls her eyes. "Do I look like I care right now?"

Itachi pauses to assess her. "I suppose not," he finally says.

"There's juice in the refrigerator if you want," Sasuke tells her. Naruto has come over as well, and he's trying to pry the bottle of scotch from Sasuke's fingers.

"It's fine," Sakura shakes her head.

Itachi makes a noise from her left. He places his glass on the table and goes to the refrigerator. He brings out a bottle of soda and juice. Sakura takes the juice from him and watches as he pours in some soda in his rum.

Sakura makes a rudimentary sangria and takes a deep gulp as soon as it's done. Blissful warmth blooms in her chest. She closes her eyes for a brief moment and tries not to sigh and fails.

"Okay, I need food," she announces. "The last meal I had was a protein bar in the morning. So feed me if you don't want me to pass out by the time I finish this."

Naruto has successfully made his own drink of scotch on the rocks and holds up his glass in a toast in her direction. "Hear, hear."

Sakura clinks their glasses together.

"Twenty bucks says that you pass out before the glass finishes," Itachi puts in. He's sipping at his homemade Cuba Libre with a smug smirk on his face.

"I'm so not getting into that," Sakura shakes her head and scowls at him. To be honest, he might be right but she's not going to say it out loud.

"Don't do that," Sasuke warns her, referring to her earlier statement. "We've ordered pizza. It'll be here soon."

Sakura sighs and maybe pouts a little. She goes back to sit on the couch. Her feet are aching like hell.

"You really do look tired," Hinata says, smiling sympathetically.

"I haven't been home since Thursday," Sakura admits. "There was a huge accident and the patients were critical. They're still under observation."

Hinata's eyes widen. "Are they going to be okay?"

"I hope so."

"It must be hard," Hinata continues in her soft voice. "I think people forget that being a doctor isn't only about being smart, but having a strong spirit, as well. To be able to work despite losing people sounds like a harsh environment to be in."

Sakura's face flushes at the blatant compliment. It seems that Hinata has no filter whatsoever.

"It's alright," Sakura replies lamely.

Hinata nods as if what Sakura said made complete sense. Wanting to change subject, Sakura continues hastily. "Are you working somewhere?"

"I have a flower shop on the Naka Street. It's pretty small, but I get by."

"Nonsense, Hinata," Naruto quips in as he sits beside Sakura again. "It's a great shop, Sakura! You should totally check it out. Hinata has all these beautiful flowers that you don't get here in the country."

"Really?" Sakura asks, interested. She never knew flower business was a big deal. But from the way Naruto looks, it's clearly of importance to be selling international flowers. It might also be the wine taking its effect, but who the hell knows. Hinata has been nothing but nice to Sakura and she is going to return the favour.

"Yeah," Hinata smiles widely. "I recently made a trade deal for the Himalayan lilies. They've been quite a hit for weddings."

"I took this girl once there," Naruto gushes, "for a date. You know, impress her with my knowledge of flowers –"

"Yeah, right," Shikamaru snorts.

"-with Hinata's help, of course," Naruto adds with a glare at the other man. "And she got so excited; she didn't wanna leave the shop."

"Great," Sasuke sits to Hinata's right with his glass of scotch and Itachi settles back on Naruto's other side. "Are we talking about exes, again?"

"Bastard," Naruto grumbles. "Just because you didn't have many doesn't mean I'm gonna hold back on my adventures."

Sasuke glares back. "That's because I was busy studying and not traveling in the back of a stinky van."

"It wasn't a stinky van," Naruto defends instantly. "It was the coolest van in the world! Take that back, you asshole."

"Here we go," Shikamaru mutters.

"Nope," Sasuke says adamantly. "I've seen that van. Jiraiya didn't even clean it up after his various sexcapades." He visibly shudders and takes a deep gulp of his drink.

"Who's Jiraiya?" Sakura asks loudly, mostly to shut them up. With the way Shikamaru and Hinata were sitting with resigned expressions, it was clear that this was a daily occurrence between the two men.

Besides, Sakura feels nicely buzzed. Whatever Naruto's questionable past might be, it won't faze her.

"He's my Godfather." Naruto's anger fades away to be replaced with excitement once again. "He's in a band. I went with him on his tours a few times growing up and Sasuke here believes that I caught cooties from the Old Man."

"You did become a man-whore after that," Sasuke points out.

"HEY!" Naruto yells at him. "Can you stop with that man-whore crap? Like I said, just because you didn't have many adventures does not make me a bad person!"

"I didn't say you were bad."

"Your tone sure did."

"You're projecting."

The doorbell rings. Itachi says an audible "Thank goodness" and gets up to open the door.

"Thank you," Itachi says to the delivery person after taking the boxes.

"My pleasure," a woman replies from the other side of the door. She's clearly trying to sound flirtatious. "Let me know if you need more. I'll be on the shift until two AM."

"Here we go," Sasuke rolls his eyes.

Sakura laughs suddenly. 'Here we go' seems like a running theme for this group of friends. It might not be that funny to warrant a laugh, but the wine is making her head light and she's just so tired and delirious and hungry and doesn't know how to stop laughing.

"Oh," the woman falters. "Sorry, I didn't know you were on a date."

Sakura laughs louder.

"Sorry," the woman repeats in embarrassment. "I'll just leave you be. Thank you for the generous tip."

Itachi shuts the door and faces the gang. Sakura sucks in a deep breath, trying to steady herself, but then Naruto starts to laugh and then Sasuke does, too. Hinata starts giggling and then everyone is laughing – even Itachi.

Over the pizza dinner, Sakura learns that Naruto and Sasuke actually work in Itachi's start-up (Shikamaru explained how it's still a start-up despite its success due to the company's age and not net worth). Naruto works in the marketing department. Sakura also learns that Shikamaru, for all the boredom that he displays, works under his father who is the Head of National Intelligence.

Naruto and Sasuke are childhood friends, who went to the same elementary, middle, and high school, and then got in the same college but acquired different degrees. Shikamaru and Itachi met in college, and Hinata met the guys through Shikamaru. She's his neighbour and a friend from high school.

They ask Sakura about her college and work. Sakura leaves out the specifics and only focuses on the name of college and the nature of her work. They've never been friends with a surgeon before, and Naruto seems completely taken by her hectic lifestyle.

"I never knew you guys have it so bad," he says, face scrunched up in a painful way.

"To think Itachi almost went that way," Sasuke mutters, his face mirroring Naruto's.

"You wanted to become a doctor?" Sakura asks Itachi, her eyes widened in shock.

Itachi shrugs as if it's no big deal. "I thought about it."

"Why didn't you?"

"My parents told me I was allowed only one degree so I had to pick one that I was very sure of," he answers casually. "So I took up Business Administration."

"Wait. What do you mean 'allowed only one degree'?"

It's Naruto who answers. "Oh, you don't know? Itachi is a prodigy! He's like super smart. But he only got one degree because their parents weren't sure if they'd be able to afford more. I mean, college education is very expensive already. I remember when Itachi said he wanted at least three degrees! Man, that was some high-level stuff."

Sakura is immediately intrigued. She's never met another prodigy before in her life. She thinks about requesting a brain scan but deduces that it might be the wine talking once again. She's staring at him with newfound fascination. Itachi starts to frown heavily under her scrutiny.

"Stop that."

"You still don't make enough money," she tells him seriously.

Itachi rolls his eyes at her. "You're really materialistic, you know that?"

Sakura sticks out her tongue at him. He stares for a moment, not really believing his eyes at her rather childish antic, and then gets up, shaking his head, to grab the bottle of rum from the counter.

Naruto laughs loudly. "You go, girl!"

She smiles lazily. She needs to sleep before she does any more foolish things. Getting to her feet slowly, she stretches out her back.

"Alright, I'm calling it a night."

The others murmur their agreements and start wrapping up, with the exception of Itachi who is sporting his drink. Sakura asks Sasuke how much she owes him for the pizza and pays the correct amount after much struggle with her wallet. She leaves before the others do, bidding good nights, and tells them that she had fun. And she really did.

As soon as she's inside her apartment, she lets the alcohol crash and stumbles to the bed before promptly passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do let me know your thoughts in the review! :)


	3. Itachi

A series of loud knocks at her door has Sakura shooting up in bed. She groggily checks the time and the clock blinks back 7.30 AM.

Muttering curses, she gets out of bed. Her head is heavy, her clothes are disheveled, and she is ready to kill someone. Sometime during the night, Sakura had woken up to pee and ended up brushing her teeth and changing into more comfortable clothes before going back to sleep.

She opens the door to reveal a smirking Itachi, holding up a mug of coffee. He's wearing a plain blue T-shirt and comfortable pants.

"I thought I would do the neighbourly stuff Sasuke keeps badgering me about," he drawls and smirks wider.

"Can you not do it on some other day?" she asks, annoyed and tired and sleepy. "Besides, if you're here for milk, you know that I still haven't bought any."

"I know," he says. "I thought a black cup might be beneficial for you, so don't worry about the milk. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Sakura steps aside. "You're a real pain in the ass."

"Thank you," he says warmly, moving towards her breakfast table. "Nice place," he comments.

It doesn't have anything other than the necessary furnishings, which is why she knows that he's just making another jab at her.

"Thanks," she says sweetly. "I prefer minimalism."

"If minimalism means that you don't have time to buy anything in your life, sure, let's go with that," he replies smoothly as he takes a seat.

Sakura sighs. "Don't you have anyone else to piss off this early in the morning?" She decides to make a cup of black coffee, since he's here and everything, and it really might help with her hangover.

"Sasuke is still asleep," Itachi says. "It's a Sunday." He shrugs as if that explains everything.

"Why aren't you?" she grumbles.

"I'm being neighbourly."

"Yeah, right." Sakura wants to point out that being neighbourly also entails letting the neighbours sleep after a night of drinking, exhaustion, and never to wake them up at the ass crack of dawn on off days.

She holds her tongue and takes a seat beside him.

"I have to go into work later," she informs him. Granted, she still has some time to take another nap, but he doesn't need to know that.

Itachi looks surprised. "Why? You already lived in the hospital for three days."

She shrugs. "I had to because three of the patients had post-op complications and needed second surgeries. I need to check on them again, and a few others who want to get discharged as soon as possible."

He nods thoughtfully.

"Seriously, why are you up?" Sakura asks him again. She remembers Itachi drinking at least three servings of his Cuba Libre last night.

"I don't take offs," he admits. "Sasuke is an employee, so he gets his designated holidays. I don't really have those."

"But you're the CEO!" she exclaims. "You can take them whenever you want, right?"

He smirks. "Not exactly whenever I want, but yes, I'm allowed designated off days. But as you said, I'm the CEO. It doesn't mean I get to slack, it only means I should be putting in the most work. Besides, I don't mind. The company is fairly new, and I need to keep up my game if I have to carve out a niche for good. If I slack now just because the company is doing well, I'll lose it before it even has a proper chance to flourish."

Silence.

"You're a workaholic."

Silence.

"So are you," he finally says.

She chuckles weakly. "I guess."

They sit in another bout of silence for a bit.

"Did you come over just to annoy me?"

Itachi smirks again. "Why do you think the previous neighbour left?"

She laughs. "I totally believe you."

Itachi leaves after half an hour or so. They talk a bit about their work in detail. Itachi tells her about some of his employees and Sakura fills in on some of the unforgettable patients she'd had to deal with in her life – without names, of course. Overall, it's a time well spent despite Sasuke not being present to interject them or reprimand them on their snarky comments towards each other.

She takes another nap after he leaves. The coffee might have helped with the hangover, but it didn't help with the lack of sleep. Sakura goes into work later that day with a fresh mind, ready to tackle the day with new vigour, the past three days' exhaustion having been dealt with. Probably.

* * *

"How was the get-together?" Ino asks her during their dinner break. She's on-call for the night like Sakura.

"Good, actually. I had fun," Sakura says honestly.

"Details, girl!" Ino points her spoon at her threateningly.

Sakura rolls her eyes and tells her about the three friends, that they had drinks and pizza, before calling it a night. Ino already knows about Sasuke and Itachi, and she keeps insisting that Sakura should ask out Sasuke. He's clearly a decent man and since his relationship status hasn't been brought up, he is most likely single.

"On second thought," Ino says, "this Naruto guy sounds like fun, too. Is he single?"

Sakura shrugs. "No clue. Although, I think he might be, because Sasuke complained about Naruto talking about his exes. Apparently, it's quite a regular occurrence."

"A man who's been around," Ino smiles like a Cheshire cat. "I like that."

"I'm not introducing you two," Sakura declares firmly.

"Why not?" she complains, her smile melting away instantly.

"I don't think it's a good idea. Ino, you want flings. I'm not setting you up with my neighbour's best friend. If something goes wrong between you two, it might make things awkward for me."

Ino waves her arm dismissively. "Fine, fine. At least introduce me to your neighbours!" Upon Sakura's glare, she hurries to explain. "Not like a set-up. Geez. Relax. I mean a casual introduction. Friendly."

"Let's see," Sakura says vaguely. She likes Ino, she really does. Ino has been her only friend since they began their internship in the hospital, but Sakura still hasn't adjusted to her friend's way of living. To introduce her to Sasuke and Itachi surely would mean some intention of sexual encounter from Ino's side, no matter how much she denies it.

It's hard enough to maintain a social life with her work schedule, and she can't exactly afford losing any part of it. She's already grateful that her neighbours are people she can try and build friendly relations with, she's not going to mess it up because of the only hospital friend she has.

Sakura's rest of the social circle includes her high school friends that she's barely in touch with anymore. To be honest, calling them "friends" would be the overstatement of the century. Only two friends from her pre-med years keep in regular touch with her but both of them are doing their residency years in different cities.

That's about it. Her pitiful social life. She doesn't regret it, much, she supposes. She's happy with her work and tries to become better in it as much as she can. If she has to sacrifice some things for it, then so be it.

* * *

Sakura drags her feet out of the elevator and knocks on 10A.

"Coffee," she mumbles as soon as the door opens.

Sasuke snickers at her and moves aside to let her in. Sakura drops down on the couch and snuggles in. She removes her sandals and pulls her feet up, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

She hears Sasuke making her a fresh cup. She almost nods off when she hears Itachi's door open and close softly.

"What's wrong with her?" he asks from somewhere.

"Jus' came back," Sakura mumbles.

She feels the dip of sofa to her right and Itachi starts prodding her shoulder. "Are you going to faint?"

"Shut up," she says but there's no heat behind the words at all. They sound pathetic and sad.

He keeps prodding. Annoyed, Sakura grabs his finger and snarls another "stop it" that only makes him smirk.

"You're alive."

"Whatever," she says absently. Her eyes are closing.

She doesn't know what really happens next, but someone is shaking her awake.

"Sakura."

Sakura opens her eyes and realises that she fell asleep on Itachi's shoulder at some point. Sasuke is hovering above her with her mug of coffee.

"Sorry," she starts to get up but Itachi has his hand around her somehow and stops her from moving.

"We're going to your place. You need to sleep," he decides.

He moves his hand to support her back instead and they get up together, with Sasuke quickly moving out of the way. Itachi wraps his hand around her waist to keep her from falling and they slowly walk to the door, across the hall, to her apartment. She digs out her key from the purse successfully, Itachi opens the door for her, and accompanies her to her bedroom.

Sakura lets go of him once the bed is in view and promptly plops face down on it.

"You're such a slob," she hears Itachi complain.

Her bedroom is rather messy. She needs to do laundry very soon. She remembers not closing her wardrobe yesterday and the way her clothes were strewn about the room.

"Do I look like I care, genius?" Sakura manages to growl.

"It's a surprise the previous landlord wanted you out," he says sarcastically. "Who wouldn't want someone who doesn't even stay at home much, probably doesn't bother with any maintenance, and is rude to a boot."

"He got his rent," she reminds him tiredly.

He sighs heavily as if her tardiness is somehow personally offensive to him. She can almost hear his eyes rolling.

"Sorry, you're simply a delight, in that case," he says flatly.

"See? There you go," she mumbles, almost asleep. "Now go away."

"Thank you, Itachi, for bringing me over. And sorry that I came to your flat to pass out rather than mine."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll buy dinner tonight."

A moment of silence. "Fine."

The door to her bedroom shuts after a moment and Sakura is finally free to pass the hell out. The last thought before she sleeps is how she needs to stop passing out.

* * *

When she wakes up, it's already six-thirty in the evening. She doesn't need to go to work until next morning. She takes a much-needed shower, and digs out comfortable pants and a shirt from the wardrobe, before making her way to 10A.

It's Itachi who opens the door this time, still wearing his work attire. It's a dark grey button-down shirt tucked in light beige pants, and hair tied in a bun.

"I promised dinner," she greets him.

He smirks and lets her in.

"Where's Sasuke?" she asks, noticing the younger brother's absence immediately. Odd, since the CEO is home, you'd think the employees would be home, as well.

"Out with Naruto," he says and goes to stand near one of the work desks in the living area. The laptop is open and she can see something that looks like a bar graph from her place on the couch.

"I didn't know you were working," she apologizes. "Should I leave?"

"I'm always working."

Sakura rolls her eyes. "What do you wanna eat then?"

They settle on Chinese. Sakura orders the food while Itachi goes to take a shower and change out of his work clothes. Apparently, he'd only come home himself and sat on his laptop to clarify something that couldn't wait until after his shower.

Without anything else to do, Sakura wanders around the living area and ends up at Itachi's laptop to peer at the screen.

It _is_ a bar graph detailing concepts from economics that she never bothered to learn. The screen suddenly goes black for a moment before the screensaver comes to life. It's a rather cute photo of Itachi and Sasuke from this apartment itself. They're wearing T-shirt and jeans and sitting on the couch side by side; Itachi has Sasuke in a playful headlock. They're both laughing into the camera.

Itachi's door opens behind her.

"Are you spying?" She turns to face him. He's wearing comfortable black pants and a plain red T-shirt. His hair is wet and he's left it open to air dry. Sakura realises that Itachi's hair is actually quite long, almost to his mid-back. It suits him somehow.

Sakura snorts in response to his question. "Hardly. I was checking out the diagram but it went over my head, and then the screensaver came up. It's a nice photo. When was it taken?"

Itachi sees what she's pointing at. "Ah, Naruto took that photo. I don't really remember what was happening. We'd actually just moved to this place."

"Where did you guys live before this?"

Itachi plops down on the couch. Sakura stays standing by the desk.

"Well, Sasuke was still in college, so he stayed in the dorms for all the years. Meanwhile, I was renting out an apartment with Shikamaru after we graduated. But that lasted for only three years until my brother's graduation and we moved here. Now, Shikamaru stays with his girlfriend."

Sakura's hand almost slips off the desk in shock. "He has a girlfriend?"

Itachi is thoroughly amused by her reaction. "Yeah, they met when we were in college. She works as a chef in this restaurant called Alessandro down by Jiji Street."

"Wow," Sakura mumbles in astonishment. "Never took him for a relationship kinda guy, let alone with a live-in girlfriend."

Itachi grins. "Yeah, he isn't exactly talkative."

"It's not that," Sakura protests. "I mean, that, too, I guess. Communication is the key and all that." Itachi laughs. "But he doesn't seem interested in anything at all," Sakura continues. "I'm surprised he was interested in another _living person_ , you know?"

He continues to laugh. "Believe me, I was just as surprised when he told me that he likes Temari. I'd seen her a few times around the campus by then, and couldn't, for the life of me, understand how _that_ happened."

"Aren't you supposed to be a genius?" Sakura teases him light-heartedly. "Hey, which reminds me. I wanted to ask why you didn't go for the fast forward programmes to graduate early."

Itachi sobers up enough to talk properly again. "My father wanted that, actually," he admits. "He even wanted me to graduate high school early on. But my mother put her foot down. She insisted that I should be brought up like any other kid, with all the delightful experiences that came with it."

"Do you regret it? I mean, graduating the traditional way."

Itachi gives a one-shouldered shrug. "I don't know. I can understand my mother's point of view just as much as my father's. Both had it right in their own way, I suppose. If I had decided to graduate early, I might have turned out differently. But it's a case of 'what if' and there's really no point in dwelling on it. It is what it is."

Sakura hms under her breath. Itachi seems to be handling things rather well. He can be arrogant and condescending, but she supposes that there might be merit to it at some point. Not to mention, he's clearly good at what he does.

"What about you?" he asks her. "Why did you become a doctor, anyway?"

Sakura bites her lower lip before letting it go. "Honestly, I was told that I'd be a good doctor. I didn't come up with it myself."

Itachi is highly intrigued. "Really? Who was it?"

Sakura shrugs self-consciously. She hasn't really delved into these details with her neighbours yet, so she isn't sure how it'll be received – considering that it's also Itachi who is … well, Itachi.

"Well," she drags out. "Kakashi. My father. He's actually very good at figuring out people fairly quickly and he told me that I'd be a great doctor when I was eight years old and nursed an injured bird back to health. And it worked out well for me."

"He sounds like a nice man," Itachi says politely. "What about your mother?"

There's a brief pause. "Actually, Kakashi isn't married. He's my foster father."

Instead of looking away in embarrassment, Itachi holds her gaze steadily. "What happened to your parents?"

Sakura sucks in a sharp breath. No one really asks her such questions, wanting to avoid a sore topic. She gets it, obviously. Nobody wants to talk about awkward things. Except for Itachi, it seems.

He's already called her out on almost everything that he knows about her; it shouldn't really be a surprise that he's digging into her personal life unapologetically.

"I don't know," she answers him honestly. "Kakashi found me near a dumpster when I was two. He applied for adoption immediately. He said that I was the best thing that happened to him because when he found me and took me home to his girlfriend, Rin walked out of his life, not wanting the responsibility of a baby. They were only twenty years old, he said. But it opened his eyes that his girlfriend was a huge bitch."

Itachi laughs loudly and Sakura grins. "He really said that?"

She giggles at the memory, feeling a flood of affection for Kakashi. "Yeah, he really did. Kakashi's best friend, Uncle Obito, was actually head over heels for Rin. But Rin wanted to be with Kakashi and Kakashi only agreed to go out because Uncle Obito said that it was okay, and Kakashi didn't really understand at that point what liking someone actually means. And then when Rin walked out, Uncle Obito also realised that maybe she wasn't the right person to love." Sakura shrugs. "So Uncle Obito and Kakashi raised me together."

"They sound like a badass pair," Itachi comments. "I can imagine it right now. Two twenty-year-old clueless men trying to shut up a weird-haired crying baby."

"Hey," Sakura protests even as she laughs. "My hair is not weird."

Itachi stares at her incredulously. "You know your hair looks pink, right?"

Sakura touches her head self-consciously. "Yeah, yeah. It's supposed to be strawberry blonde."

"With the blonde part forgotten? Sure."

"Whatever," Sakura dismisses him. "What about your parents, anyway?"

The doorbell rings. Itachi puts up a finger and starts to move. "Hold that thought."

Sakura gestures him to sit back down. "I said it's on me."

Itachi pauses, thinks for a second, then sits back down.

Sakura takes the delivery and pays. She'd made it a point earlier to bring her wallet over.

They divide the food between them and decide to sit on the sofa rather than the breakfast stools. Sakura pulls her feet up to sit cross-legged.

"My parents," Itachi begins once they start eating their food, "live in a small town called Konoha. Sasuke and I were born there, in fact, and we graduated high school from Konoha Academy. I moved to the city for college and Sasuke followed later on. Currently, our father is retired, and our mother runs a small bakery. She hates to sit idle. She began the bakery right after she finished high school and it is still as good as it has always been."

"I'm surprised that you're not fat," Sakura comments, picturing miniature Itachi and Sasuke eating their mother's bakery goods every day after school.

"Sasuke and I were quite athletic," he says. "I think the only reason why our father insisted that we participate in sports activities was to make sure we don't risk our health." He snorts. "I wouldn't be surprised if that were true. Sasuke loves this cherry pie that mother bakes and he was quite stubborn. Not to mention, he always dragged Naruto to come over so that he can convince our mother with his charming smiles on our behalf."

Sakura chuckles. "Naruto does have a charming smile."

Itachi nods in agreement. "Have you always been in the city?"

"Yeah," Sakura answers. "I grew up in Doko district. Kakashi still lives there. I moved out when I went to college in Suna. I stayed with one of Kakashi's friends who is a local there. I applied for internships in this city more than anywhere else in the country, and thankfully, got one. I wanted to be near Kakashi as much as possible without actually staying with him. No offense, but he's still a bachelor." She winces at the thought. "And so is Uncle Obito. They're still each other's wingmen and love to bring girls over all the time."

"Uncle Obito stays with Kakashi?"

"Yeah. He moved in when Kakashi adopted me, you know, to help. And I guess it works in their favour, still, because he hasn't moved out since."

Itachi nods thoughtfully. "Maybe they don't even want to date at this point? I mean, the Rin woman seems to have done a number on their relation. Maybe they don't want that happening again."

"Maybe," Sakura allows, keeping to herself the long stares that the two men have shared with each other when they thought no one was noticing.

Sakura grew up learning how sexuality is fluid, how it doesn't matter whether you're straight or gay or bisexual. Despite not being a huge fan of the concept of love himself, Kakashi always told her that you love whom you love, gender or sex doesn't play that big a role in it. _It's the person who matters, doll,_ he'd say, _not what they're packing_.

Of course, the latter part always managed to ruin the moment, but the message was driven home, nonetheless.

Sasuke finally arrives home when Itachi and Sakura are each having a glass of wine after dinner.

"Hey!" he greets her with a warm smile. "Are you feeling okay? I was really worried today morning."

He drops his bag down on his desk and joins them on the sofa, putting his feet up on the coffee table and snuggling comfortably.

"I'm fine," Sakura says awkwardly. "Sorry to have scared you. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"I'd say," Sasuke chuckles. "Hey, Itachi, Naruto has this amazing idea for the next campaign. Remind me to tell you tomorrow."

Itachi rolls his eyes. "Remind yourself."

Sasuke tsks in annoyance. "You're not that good of a CEO, you know that? Aren't you supposed to be respectful of your employees?"

Sakura chuckles. "I'd say."

"I have better things to do than reminding you to inform me of an idea that your best friend came up with," Itachi frowns.

"Fine, fine, you asshole," Sasuke concedes rather colourfully. "Anyway, what did you guys do?"

"Dinner," Sakura says.

"She paid for it."

Sasuke groans. "I missed free dinner? And paid for two people, by the way. I don't know why Naruto never pays for anything! It's not like Itachi doesn't give him a salary."

"You seem to have a love-hate relationship with him," Sakura observes. It sure didn't take Sasuke long from praising his friend to cursing him.

"Don't remind me," Itachi mutters, wearing a painful expression. "It's always been the same. It took me a long time when we were kids to actually understand that they were friends. I had assumed that Naruto was his biggest enemy."

Sakura laughs and Sasuke stares at his brother.

"Don't blame me," Sasuke says. "It always took you longer to understand any social relation."

"True," Itachi concedes.

"You should have seen him when we were kids. I had more friends than he did, and I always had to categorize my relations for him to know what was going on."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asks.

"He means," Itachi cuts in before Sasuke can elaborate. "Since the concept of social relations is something that I've always struggled with, I had to keep asking Sasuke which person was his friend, his classmate, his acquaintance, his close friend, his rival, and his enemy. It helped me determine the social boundaries for myself as the brother, and to keep a better eye on him."

Sakura thinks back to yesterday when Itachi came knocking on her door, saying he was doing neighbourly stuff. A vague understanding fills her mind as she realizes why Sasuke is always the one interjecting or guiding or chiding Itachi over his social interactions. It isn't because Sasuke thinks Itachi is being a jerk, it is because Sasuke understands why Itachi would need his interference.

"Is it the same even now?" Sakura asks, utterly intrigued by the two brothers. "Do you still have to categorize everyone?"

"Yes," they both reply at the same time and then exchange smirks.

"Now the categories have broadened," Sasuke explains. "There's employee, employee and friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, partner, friend with benefits, ex, ex who is a friend, ex who is an acquaintance, and so on, and of course," Sasuke pauses to smirk, "not to mention, neighbour."

"Wow," Sakura chuckles weakly. "I'm honestly surprised you even know how to put people in such categories. I only ever had friends and not friends, and family."

"What? No boyfriends?" Sasuke raises his eyebrows.

"I could have a girlfriend?" Sakura suggests lightly.

Sasuke just laughs. "As if. You're straight as an arrow, trust me."

Sakura doesn't know it herself, or maybe she never put a label because Kakashi always said there's no need for any labels anyway.

So she shrugs and doesn't say anything.

"And it's not so difficult," Sasuke continues their earlier train of topic. "Or maybe I learned how to do it because Itachi taught me it over the years."

"It was more for my sake," Itachi says coolly. "Otherwise, I believe we'd have more mishaps such as Naruto's."

"Definitely," Sasuke chuckles. "It's fun, though," he tells Sakura. "It helps me to maintain my boundaries, too."

"I suppose," Sakura agrees tentatively. She can see how it would benefit both of them, and then wonders what it would take Sasuke to categorise her as "neighbour and friend" for Itachi's benefit.

The thought does help because she realises that she honestly wouldn't mind being friends with the two of them.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do let me know your thoughts! :)


	4. Breaking the Habit

The next two weeks pass in a similar fashion, with Sakura going across the hall for coffee in the mornings whenever she was home for it, and she'd shared another two dinners with them until now. Ino keeps pestering to introduce them to her, or at least that Sakura should definitely ask out Sasuke. After a point, Sakura learns to tune her out whenever she goes in one of those rants.

She learns quite a bit more of her neighbours in that time. Not only does Itachi struggle with defining social relations and boundaries despite being a genius, he also doesn't quite understand how to filter himself when he's talking. Sakura dismissed Sasuke's interjections after a point, finding Itachi's behaviour to be refreshing. Sasuke, on the other hand, is the epitome of a nice guy. He's polite, playful, sarcastic, honest (not in the crude sense Itachi is), and always wants to do the right thing. Something that Itachi doesn't really bother with himself.

Sakura is forced to take a 36-hour break, when her Attendant, Dr. Orochimaru, informs her of it on a Saturday afternoon.

"Come back on Monday morning, 9 AM," he says, morosely. "Chief's orders."

Sakura stares back, horrified. She doesn't remember the last time her break had lasted this long. She even hates to take 24-hour breaks, let alone 36 hours. And she doesn't understand what's happening. Dr. Orochimaru is her mentor in every sense of the word, one of the more renounced cardiothoracic surgeons in the country. He knows, he _understands_ , that Sakura can't afford such a long break from work. She'll miss out on good surgeries.

"Don't give me that look," he frowns. "Chief's orders," he repeats. "I don't get why she'd do that, though. She knows that you're a promising candidate, and she should let me have free reigns over your schedule."

Sakura whole-heartedly agrees. "Can you not speak with her?"

Tsunade is a formidable person, and it shows because Dr. Orochimaru suddenly winces at the thought of protesting the Chief when she's given a clear order.

"Do you want to get kicked out, woman?" he hisses. "Forget that, she might just let _me_ go."

Sakura groans, knowing it to be true.

"Go home, now," he tells her. He really does seem unhappy, just as much as Sakura feels. Dr. Orochimaru and she share an established mutual respect amongst themselves wherein he has promised to work her like a slave and she'd agreed in an instant. "Before the Chief sees that you're still here."

"Alright," Sakura mumbles dejectedly.

She drives home. As soon as she's on her floor, she thinks about going over to the boys' apartment and seeing if they're free, before remembering that it's Saturday afternoon. Itachi is most definitely working, and Sasuke might be, too, because she knows that despite being an employee, Sasuke tries to be at the office as much as possible for Itachi's sake. After all, Sasuke is one of the IT guys and Itachi _does_ run a business over a webpage. Sasuke had told her over one of the dinners that they're building a phone application next due to the positive response that they have received.

So she goes to her own apartment and stares around the place. Itachi was right. The flat has zero personal touches. There's a single three-seater dark orange couch in the living area, a small square coffee table, there's no TV, and a measly rack is tucked against a wall with a flower-less vase on it. It was a housewarming gift from Ino.

Sighing, she goes to her bedroom. It took her three days to unpack, she remembers. It wasn't because she had a lot of stuff, but because she didn't have the time to do it. She drops her purse on the bed and starts to collect her clothes for laundry.

* * *

By the time the clock strikes seven, Sakura feels better. She dusted her flat, swept, mopped it, did her laundry, and arranged her books alphabetically. She knows that the boys have arrived because she heard muffled chatter earlier.

Sakura changes into a pair of blue denim pants, a green T-shirt that Kakashi said brings out her eyes, and a long black coat. The air is nippy this season, and Sakura has always been prone to feeling cold easily. She goes across the hall.

Itachi opens the door, wearing his home clothes.

"Haven't seen you in a while," he comments lightly and holds the door open for her.

She enters but waits on the doormat. "I'm headed to the grocery store," she says. "You guys want me to pick up anything?"

Sasuke is working on his laptop. He spins on his chair to face her. Itachi has moved to the couch.

"A lot of things, actually," Sasuke says. "I have a list."

"Eh…"

"I'll come with you," Itachi offers, already moving to the refrigerator. He takes the grocery list that was held up with one of the magnets.

Sakura waits as he goes to his room and returns wearing a jacket, but doesn't change his clothes. Mentally shrugging, Sakura waves goodbye to Sasuke, and she and Itachi head out.

"About time," Itachi comments when they're in the elevator. Upon Sakura's confused expression, he elaborates. "I was wondering when you'd realise that you need things to sustain yourself."

Sakura rolls her eyes.

He continues. "You really are a rather tardy doctor."

"Don't forget materialistic," she reminds him sarcastically.

"That, too," he agrees.

"I even did the laundry today," she admits. "I'm told not to return to work until Monday morning."

Itachi chuckles as they exit the elevator and walk across the main lobby towards the door. "Actually, Sasuke has kind of forbidden me from working tomorrow, as well."

"Can he do that?" Sakura asks, impressed that Sasuke can command his brother around.

"Technically, no," Itachi shrugs. "But he played the brother card."

"Okay," Sakura drags out, not really knowing what the hell that means but she doesn't ask to elaborate and Itachi doesn't offer more, either.

"Your check engine light is on," he says as soon as they sit in her car.

"Shit. Okay wait, I can take it to the garage tomorrow. Making lemonades from lemons and all that."

"Are garages open on Sundays?" Itachi asks, interested.

There is a brief moment of silence. "I have no idea."

"Oh, okay."

"Maybe we could ask Sasuke," she says bracingly. "He knows what happens on Sundays in the outside world."

"True," Itachi agrees.

They make light conversation on their way to the nearest grocery store that Sakura knows – or Google knows.

"Shouldn't you be knowing all of this?" Sakura grumbles. "Locations of your competitors."

Itachi tsks. "I have people knowing all of this," he retorts.

He gets three phone calls on the way, all from a person called Yahiko. Sakura vaguely remembers Itachi telling her that he's the Head of Operations and streamlines the business for Itachi. Yahiko is the link between Itachi and the rest of the company.

_"It's not a big team," he'd told her. "But we do have separate departments."_

_Sakura had asked why he doesn't take on a secretary. The question had confused Itachi. "Why would I let someone else have the pleasure of handling things?" he'd asked._

When they reach the store, Itachi pockets his phone and takes out the list that Sasuke has made.

The crowd is thin at this time of the hour in the evening. It's well beyond seven and Sakura can't believe she still has to cook dinner when she gets home.

They grab two carts at the entrance. Not really knowing where to start, Itachi consults the list once more and Sakura follows behind him, deciding that Sasuke probably knows what to buy more than both of them combined.

"You're a doctor!" Itachi says in an irritated voice when they are trying to decide which brand of chicken to buy. "Don't you know this stuff? Healthy foods and all that."

"I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon," Sakura snarls back, "not a dietitian. I can tell you not to eat fried foods and how it will affect your arteries in great detail, but I have no idea about which _chicken_ to buy! Besides, don't _you_ cook?"

"I don't," Itachi frowns. "Sasuke does."

"What?" she stares back, shocked. "What the hell did you do during college and when you stayed with Shikamaru? Don't tell me, Shikamaru cooked for you. And your mother has a bakery, for goodness' sake. Didn't you ever help her in the kitchen?"

Itachi heaves a long-suffering sigh. "My mother is a _baker_ , and she taught me how to _bake_. Besides, Temari is a chef," he reminds her. "She made us her guinea pigs. And we had take-outs."

Sakura grunts in annoyance.

Itachi levels a look at her. "What did _you_ do before this? Did you rely on your neighbours in your previous apartment, or even through college?"

"Hospitals have a cafeteria," she reminds him. "And take-outs. Whenever I did cook, I didn't bother with which chicken I was buying."

"How can you not?" Itachi appears to be disgusted. "What if the brand is at a subpar level and the chicken gives you some sort of a disease? Oh god, I can't believe I'm saying this to a goddamn _doctor_!"

"Shut up," Sakura snaps. "What about your high-end ass, you genius? You have a delivery service! Don't you have to do market research for brands?"

"Not for groceries," he retorts. "Since when have I delivered groceries?"

He doesn't, Sakura knows that. His company delivers fashion products, home décor items, medicines, and personal hygiene products.

"Excuse me," a store clerk intervenes them. It's a petite woman in her early twenties with red hair, wearing the store clerk uniform. The nametag reads _Karui_. "May I help you?"

Itachi and Sakura exchange glances. Sakura notices then that their constant bickering has attracted the attention of the nearby shoppers. Someone must have called the clerk.

Itachi thrusts the sheet of paper in her hand. "We need these items, please."

She's utterly bemused. "Sir, this is a self-serving store."

What this is, is a disaster. Sakura sighs in frustration. Itachi is looking severely displeased and seems to be regretting his decision of accompanying Sakura.

Karui assesses them critically, and then sighs. "Fine. Give me the list."

Karui takes them around the store, explains the products to them, helps them with the brands, and insists on sharing her life story as a cherry on the unmitigated chaos this evening has been.

She tells how she's only working as a part-timer to help manage the funds for her college expense. She came to the city from a place high up north, and how she hates the burn and the heat of this place. She assumes that Itachi and Sakura are a couple, _it's so hard when you begin newly dating, isn't it?_ and before Sakura or Itachi can deny it, she's already launching into how she wants to become an engineer. The only reason why she knows about the various kinds of food items is because she didn't have a mother growing up and her father is an _utter slob, I tell you_.

By the time they reach the counter to ring up their items, Sakura has started to feel bad for the young girl. And by the time they're wheeling their carts to Sakura's car, she's assured the girl that things will turn around for the better any day now.

"Remind me," Itachi says as he buckles his seat belt, "never to come shopping with you again."

Sakura rolls her eyes. "Why did you if you don't even know shit?"

"I assumed you'd know."

When Itachi opens the door to 10A with his set of keys, Sasuke is still working on his laptop. He looks up at the two of them.

"What happened?" he asks wearily. "No, wait. I don't wanna know."

Two sets of eyes glare at him. Sasuke slowly spins back to his laptop.

"I'm going to head back," Sakura says and turns to leave.

"Wait," Itachi grumbles in a defeated tone. "I'll help with the bags."

He holds them while Sakura digs around her purse for the keys. She opens the door and Itachi goes to place the bags on the breakfast table.

"Did you clean?" he asks, eyebrows raised, as he looks around.

"Yeah."

Itachi walks to the door of her apartment. Instead of leaving as she'd assumed, he calls out loudly, "Sasuke!"

Sasuke hurries over. "What? What's wrong?"

Itachi tsks. "Nothing's _wrong_. Listen, do you know if car service is open on Sundays?"

Sasuke watches the two of them with confusion. "Yeah," he says slowly. "Kiba's place is open."

"Right," Itachi snaps his fingers. "Kiba is Naruto's friend. He owns a garage. I completely forgot about him."

"Who needs a car service?"

"I do," Sakura answers, pulling out her groceries. She consulted Sasuke's list for most of it, and added more whenever she saw something that she liked. "My check engine light is on."

"I'll give you his address," Sasuke says. "Tell me your number."

Sakura counts out the digits for him. Sasuke sends a quick text and her phone vibrates in her pocket. "Thanks!"

"Nice profile picture," he compliments and smiles.

"Thank you." Ino had clicked it during one of their lunch breaks. Sakura is in her blue surgical uniform, hair tied in a bun, and she's looking to her right and laughing. She remembers that day. Shino, an orthopaedic resident, was sitting on one of the nearby tables and he'd explained in the most serious voice how Dr. Orochimaru might be a woman.

"Also, Sakura doesn't know shit about cooking," Itachi says.

"Hey!" Sakura protests. "I do. You don't."

"You didn't even know what to buy," he points out, unimpressed.

"I did. I would have picked whatever like I always do," she frowns at him. "You were the one who insisted on buying the _best brand_. Now I don't know the _best brand_ but that doesn't mean I don't know how to cook."

"Prove it," Itachi challenges smugly.

"Nuh uh," Sakura points a finger at him. "You're trying to manipulate me into cooking for you. Not happening."

"If you says so," he says casually in a way that shows that he's unconvinced of her alleged cooking skills.

"So," Sasuke says brightly, "shopping went well, I assume?"

"Fantastic," Sakura mutters at the same time Itachi says "Wonderful".

"You guys are hopeless," Sasuke tells them. "I mean, I was surprised that Itachi offered to come for grocery shopping because he never does that, but then I thought that you might be the knowledgeable one since you stay alone."

"Exactly," Itachi puts in.

"We'll take you next time, don't worry," Sakura promises sweetly.

Sasuke levels a flat stare at her as Itachi changes sides once again, and adds "Great idea!"

The boys leave after another quarrel breaks out between the three of them, and Sakura has to throw them out because she still needs to cook her dinner.

* * *

On Sunday morning, Sakura doesn't go across the hall. She has milk, coffee, and even cream if she so wishes to enjoy it. So she has her coffee in her own apartment, makes scrambled eggs, and gets ready to drive down to the garage.

It's half an hour drive. The shop is not that huge. There are two people working inside when she pulls up in an empty space.

A man in overalls looks up from where he's working on a car with the bump propped open. He is average in height, greasy, with brown cropped hair, and tattooed face. To her surprise, though, Naruto chooses that moment to walk out from one of the back doors with a large white dog.

"Sakura!" Naruto waves excitedly and the dog barks.

"Naruto?"

"Sasuke told me you were coming here today," Naruto explains. "I thought I'd make introductions, and I hadn't seen Kiba in a long time, anyway. This is Kiba's dog, Akamaru." The dog wags its tail upon hearing its name.

"Speaking of," the greasy man cuts in smoothly. "Hi. Kiba."

Sakura doesn't extend her hand to shake and neither does he. "Sakura. I need my car checked. Just a routine service. I think."

Kiba nods. "When do you need it?"

Sakura squirms. "Today, if possible."

Kiba bites his lip in thought and then shrugs. "Doable," he says. "But you gotta give me two hours."

"We can hang out!" Naruto exclaims. "And we can take Akamaru for a walk." The dog barks delightedly upon hearing its name again.

"Alright."

Sakura fills the necessary forms, hands over the keys, and walks out of the shop. She doesn't know who is more excited right now – Naruto or Akamaru. Naruto tells her there's a park nearby that they can visit.

He fills the time with mundane chatter the whole way.

"… and then Konan comes right up to my face," he's regaling when they enter the park, "and tells me that either I do her way or get the fuck out of there! Turns out, she was right," he shrugs as if someone telling him off during work doesn't bother him in the least. "My idea was half-baked and I hadn't thought of the consequent steps properly."

"I do enjoy marketing," he is talking as they're making their second lap, "you know? I mean, I don't wanna stop there, though. I'd really like to expand to PR when I can, and maybe start something of my own later in life. But I still don't have a great idea. Look at Itachi. Even though there are various delivery services in the market today, one better than the other, he's still managed to make a name. Operation is the key," he nods seriously and continues telling Sakura how Itachi's work ethics are _really crazy and awesome_.

"Sasuke was a little shit," he tells her when they're sitting on a park bench, licking popsicles and playing fetch with Akamaru. "Itachi loves to spoil him like mad. I mean, Sasuke might be more mature today but last birthday, Itachi bought him a beautiful copy of the Infinity Gauntlet –"

"The what?"

"The Infinity Gauntlet?" he repeats, giving her an odd look. "Thanos uses it to destroy half the world?"

"Huh?" Sakura frowns before remembering Sasuke's odd variety of T-shirts. "Oh, does this have anything to do with the Incredible Hulk?"

"Sakura," he says slowly and forgets all about Akamaru who is nudging his knees with the wooden stick, "you do know about Avengers, right?"

"Not really," she shrugs.

Naruto then launches into a passionate speech – much like Sasuke had – about the Marvel Cinematic Universe –

"Oh, MCU! I get it now," she interrupts him cheerily.

He ignores it and spends the rest of their time determined to explain all about Iron Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Captain America, and Thor as the six original Avengers in the latest movies.

He's talking about someone called Doctor Strange when they return to the garage. She spots her car immediately: it's shining spotless and Kiba is stepping out of the driver's seat. He gives her a thumbs-up when he sees them.

"There was nothing wrong with it," he tells her, patting an excited Akamaru. "It was a routine check light. I've reset it."

"Thank you," Sakura smiles. She really is grateful that he did the job on such short notice and so quickly.

She signs the receipts, pays him for the service, and bids them goodbye. Akamaru wags his tails and drools over her front tyre.

"We're watching an MCU movie next time we meet," Naruto promises firmly. "I'll tell Sasuke."

Sakura doesn't refuse. A movie night might actually do her some good. She did enjoy her time with them, anyway. Besides, Naruto's storytelling has managed to pique her interest regarding the super-heroes.

* * *

Sakura spends the remaining of her Sunday in her apartment, and realises for the hundredth time in her life that her Chief might be right. She really needed some time off to reboot and laze around, without the adrenalin rush of being in the hospital.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! :)


	5. Stark-ly Wide Eyed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name is dedicated to Tony Stark from MCU.

On Wednesday, someone knocks on her apartment door.

Sakura glances at the clock and it blinks 7.37 AM. Sasuke is standing on the other side of the door with his hand raised in the air as if about to knock again.

"Hi."

Sasuke lowers his hand. "Coffee?"

She smiles. "Sure. Let me grab my mug."

She picks it up from the breakfast table where she had just taken her first sip of the liquid. She follows Sasuke to his apartment and sees Itachi at the breakfast bar, dressed in his work clothes. He doesn't turn to greet her. Instead, he's reading something on his phone rather intently.

"What's up, genius?" She sits down beside him. Sasuke grabs his own mug and stands across the island.

"Look at you," Itachi mutters lowly, still engrossed in his phone, "making your own coffee with your own ingredients and everything."

Before she can come up with a retort, he suddenly hisses out a curse. Sakura exchanges a quick glance with Sasuke, who lowers the mug slowly, looking worried.

"Sasuke," Itachi says urgently, "the webpage is crashing. Open your laptop, quick." Sasuke is already moving across towards his desk. "Someone is hacking the system."

Itachi puts his phone to his ear and waits for the other person to pick up. "Did you see it? What's happening? … Yeah, I've got Sasuke on it … No. Don't do that. The hacker might get access again later. We need a long-term solution not a quick fix … Yeah, alright. Keep me posted." He turns to Sasuke. "Did you get anything?"

Sasuke is furiously typing away on his laptop. Sakura watches them, both worried and awkward. Maybe she should leave and let the two brothers deal with the crisis. She makes to move from the stool, but Itachi grabs her arm and shakes his head. She settles back.

"I've got it," Sasuke announces a few minutes later. He types some more. "There. Done."

"What did you do?" Itachi asks, still perched beside Sakura.

"I traced the hacker and fixed up multiple firewalls for the IP address."

"What if they try from another IP address?"

"I'll sit with the team today and we'll strengthen the system a bit more," Sasuke promises.

"Alright. Make sure this doesn't happen again."

"Roger that."

Sakura doesn't know what she's surprised with more – that Sasuke is quick on his feet, or that he's clearly good at what he does, or the way the dynamics between them suddenly switched to the employer-employee status, or the way Itachi commands. He's not rude, more curt, and doesn't drag on a situation far, instead opting to deal with it and move on. He even sounds like someone you'd obey without questioning. Sakura struggles to mould what she'd just seen with the way Itachi bickers with her over every little thing.

Sasuke goes back to his mug. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright," Sakura assures him. "Are things okay now?"

He nods. "For the time being."

Itachi pockets his phone and resumes drinking his own coffee. "You don't seem in a rush today."

"I have to be in by 9," she says. "I thought I could take it slow."

"Were you staying at the hospital again?"

"Er, yeah. I mean I was on-call on Monday night. Came home last night, though."

"Naruto told me you wanted a movie night," Sasuke says and smirks. "He said you realised how awesome MCU truly is."

Sakura scoffs. "I said no such thing. I only accepted his offer."

"Still," Sasuke shrugs coolly, still smirking.

"I don't have a TV," she points out. "I have zero knowledge about _any_ movie trends, let alone Avengers. I would have agreed to anything."

Sasuke looks horrified. "But you have a laptop! Are you telling me you never stream Netflix?"

"I don't really use my laptop, much," Sakura admits. "It's mostly to study and research." When Sasuke continues to stare in the dumbfounded way, she adds, "Of course, I've _seen_ movies. My father makes me watch whenever I visit him, which is not a lot, though."

"You're doomed," Itachi mutters with a quick side-glance thrown her way.

"Huh?"

"Naruto was right," Sasuke says firmly. "You need a movie night. We'll get popcorn, chicken wings, beers, and watch Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man 1."

"Uh... alright …"

"And I'll invite Naruto and Shika. Itachi, we have to have a movie night."

Itachi raises his hands in defence. "I didn't object."

Sakura promises to let them know when she's free. Before they leave the apartment – Itachi and Sasuke for work and Sakura to get ready – Sasuke grabs her arm.

"Hey, you coming over tomorrow in the morning?"

"Definitely."

He grins.

* * *

It's next Wednesday when Sakura finally gets the evening off for a movie night. They even pick up the morning coffee routine again, despite Sakura not really needing any more favours. She gets ready, heads across the hall with her coffee, they chat before leaving for work. Or at least it's possible when she's home in the mornings.

She's also stumbled home, exhausted after long surgeries, and promptly passed out in her bedroom. She takes extra care of not going to 10A, no matter how much her brain insists that _it's fine, just absolutely fine,_ and can function for another fifteen to twenty minutes. Been there, done that, not happening again.

On Wednesday, she's home by five. She takes a long shower, tidies up her bedroom, and decides to make some snacks. She pulls out the unopened bag of nachos, pours them in a large bowl, and decorates it with toppings and cheese. Satisfied, she glances at the clock. 6.15 PM.

When Sasuke opens the door, Sakura sees only Naruto present.

"Shika couldn't make it," Sasuke tells her.

Sakura shrugs and sticks out the large bowl. "Nachos?"

"Here, here!" Naruto makes grabby hands, perched on the couch, not moving at all.

"Feed the big baby," Sasuke says. "Beer?"

"Yes, please."

Itachi is on his laptop. He hasn't changed from his work clothes yet. Sakura goes to stand behind him after she gives the bowl to Naruto, and peers at the screen. It looks like a business article and features an image of a man in his late fifties, fake tanned skin, smiling up at her.

"He's creepy," she tells Itachi.

"And a snake," he mutters absently. "Look at this. He's making a fool out of everyone in plain sight, and people are still loyal to him. Denial is dangerous."

"Who is he?"

Sasuke nudges her elbow with a beer can, already opened. She mouths 'thanks' and turns back to Itachi.

"Shimura Danzo," Itachi says, still not entirely focused on her and reading the article. "He owns this company called ROOT. It's a consulting organization. Advices businesses on how to do business. He called the office today, wanting to speak with me."

"What does he want?" Sakura frowns, now leaning more over Itachi's shoulder to read better.

Itachi doesn't move. His chin is propped up in the palm of his left hand. "He said he could help me make the company even better."

"Are you going to accept it?"

"Not at all," he says, almost reflexively. "But I'm thinking of outing him on his schemes. He is leeching off the smaller businesses and they don't even see it."

"Guys!" Naruto calls out loudly. "You're ruining movie night."

"Hear, hear," Sasuke cheers in support.

They don't move immediately. Itachi says cryptically, "Better buckle in, Sakura."

Sakura rolls her eyes and joins the other two. Itachi takes another ten minutes to shut his laptop. He grabs one of the beer cans from the refrigerator and sits on the floor near Sakura's feet since the other couch doesn't face the TV directly.

"You're not going to change?"

He shakes his head. Sakura has a feeling that he's still thinking over the Danzo guy even though Naruto is starting the movie now, with excited cheers of how much Sakura is going to love it.

Now here's the thing about Sakura and movies. She isn't a big movie-watcher as has been already established, but her father and Uncle Obito _did_ make her watch some with them growing up. And it so happens that she picked up Uncle Obito's habits.

He's what you'd call a person who wears his heart on his sleeves. He's fallen in love many times until now, even after Rin, and he's the guy who ends up messing things up due to blurting out "I love you" on events such as fifth dates.

He doesn't understand that even though some stuff is understood, it doesn't have to be said out loud. Which might fit Kakashi's choice of friendship dynamics because her father _loves_ to speak his mind – it's just that, Kakashi's mind isn't the mind of a romantic exactly. Rather, it's the mind of a downright pervert. Sakura thinks it does balance things out between them – one man of the heart and the other of sex, taking the world two girls at a time by being each other's wingmen. The effect it has on a growing girl, though, is not that exciting.

Sakura's childhood has been confusing most of the times, but after a while, she learned how to take the teachings of both the men from her life and somehow adapt without losing her mind. In case of movies, however, she is completely – _wholeheartedly_ – channelling Uncle Obito.

Sakura watches Iron Man 1 starring Robert Downey Jr. with her heart on her sleeves.

Turns out, she's not the only one. The only person to groan louder than her when Yisin dies is Naruto. Sakura clutches Naruto's arm when Stark crashes in the desert after defeating his captors. Sasuke and Itachi keep up a constant stream of Iron Man's armour and its abilities. Naruto wolf whistles when Pepper Potts and Stark are dancing during the charity event. They all seem to be on the edge of their seats when Stark is attacked by two fighter jets before he calls Rhodes and tells him his identity. They all cheer when Stark is fighting Stane in the end, and he asks Potts to overload the arc reactor as a last resort. And when Stark stands in front of the media, and says, "I'm Iron Man", Sakura nearly jumps out of her seat in excitement.

"Oh my god," she says loudly as the end credits roll, "did he just do that? Did he just announce that he's Iron Man? What the fuck? That's brilliant."

Naruto and Sasuke are beaming at her. "I know!" Sasuke cries.

Itachi, who's still sitting on the floor and only turned around to discuss one point or the other, gets to his feet and stretches his spine languidly.

"Beer? Anyone?" He calls out as he moves to the refrigerator.

"Yes!" Sakura says.

Naruto shakes his head. "I should get going, actually."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke implores. "You can just crash here."

Naruto cracks a grin. "You know we have work tomorrow, right? I'd rather sleep in my own bed."

"Alright," Sasuke shrugs and they stand up.

Sasuke escorts him to the front door, Naruto calls out a final bye, and leaves. After a moment, Sasuke calls out loudly, "Text when you reach home, dobe!"

Sakura hears a distinct "Yeah, teme!" and the door shuts.

Sasuke heaves a long sigh. "I'm going to get to bed, too, actually." He beams at her. "I'm so glad you liked the movie, though! We're going to have so much fun watching the other MCU movies!"

Sakura giggles. She takes the beer that Itachi hands to her, and says, "I really did. Let's plan the next one soon."

Sasuke bids them both good night before shutting the door to his room. Sakura sits sideways, her neck lolling lazily over the back of the couch, nursing the beer close to her chest.

Itachi mirrors her and they sit facing each other.

"You know," she says in the comfortable quiet, "Kakashi and Uncle Obito are going to be so happy to know that I'm actually excited about watching a movie."

Itachi smiles slightly. "It's your fortune that it happens to be MCU movies."

"I can see why you guys like it."

"Why is that?"

"Because you're all nerds," she giggles and takes a healthy gulp of the beer.

Itachi rolls his eyes. "Says the nerd."

"Yeah, yeah," she dismisses lightly. "I get it, though," she says seriously. "I like how the super-hero is there to save the day."

"And says the doctor."

A sad smile pops out on her face, leaving her feeling sombre. "We don't always save the day."

Itachi sobers up instantly. "Something happened?"

Sakura sucks in a sharp breath at the memory, tries for a nonchalant shrug and fails. "Lost a patient today."

Itachi holds her gaze steady like he'd done when Sakura had told him Kakashi is her father foster. "You want to talk about it?"

Sakura traces the threading on the couch, shifting her attention to the inane task, as her index finger runs around in a random pattern. "He got a new heart. An intern of mine fought hard for it on his behalf. I don't advocate for patient-doctor romance, but I guess I can cut some slack."

"Tell me from the beginning," he says softly.

So Sakura does. "He was on the list for years. He'd already had two heart transplants before in his life. He was born with a defected system, so he wasn't new to the procedures. But he really needed this one. He stayed in the hospital for months, being monitored, and hanging by a thread. And then he goes and falls for one of the interns. As a doctor, you need to learn how to draw a line between yourself and the patient. It's for the benefit of both of the parties. The doctor cannot afford being emotionally attached to the patient, lest his decision-making is hindered by it, and it will cost the patient in the end.

"But the intern ended up getting attached. She fought for the right on the next available heart. He was on LVAD by this point. We did the transplant last night. I was paged early in the morning today, and by the time I reached, he'd already died. It was a stroke. He barely had a warning of a few seconds.

"I've lost patients," she continues quietly, still tracing the random pattern, still unable to look at Itachi, "but I got attached, too. I try my best not to do it; it's hard at times. He was a man in his thirties, and honestly, one of the funniest people I'd met. He always had a wisecrack ready during the rounds."

"I'm sorry," Itachi offers.

"And the cherry on the cake is, he'd proposed to that intern before he got the new heart. She went to say yes to him and found his dead body instead. Obviously, that's against the ethical code of conduct for the doctors and my Chief is taking the necessary actions."

Itachi has nothing to say to that. He lets her trace the pattern in silence.

* * *

Two weeks later, Sakura is sitting in the cafeteria with Ino and Shino during their lunch break.

"Did you see him?" Ino asks, swirling the straw in her mixed fruit juice.

"Yep," Shino says. He pauses to eat a forkful of salad before continuing sombrely. It's hard to say though because he always sounds serious, as if he's discussing a potential apocalypse. "He was in the lift. I think he finally wants to file a suit against the hospital."

Sakura curses. "I guess I'd be called to the Chief's office any time now," she sighs tiredly.

Genma, the patient who had died of a stroke after the heart transplant, turned out to be quite a wealthy man. The intern whom he'd proposed to received a big check, from what Sakura had heard, of a few million at least when Genma's will was processed. And now, apparently, his father came to visit the Chief _again_. He'd visited a few times before and tried to accuse the Chief for tampering with Genma's treatment, that the right call was not made. _How does my son propose to an intern from your hospital, dies soon after, and the intern is left with all his money?_ he'd demanded.

Since Sakura was involved with the case, she'd had to sit through those impromptu meetings, along with Dr. Orochimaru who was the lead surgeon on the case. The management was called down a few times to try and avoid a lawsuit. Clearly, Genma's father hasn't given up yet.

But her pager stays silent. No message is sent her way even when lunch gets over.

Mentally relieved, Sakura begins her rounds on her patients with her group of interns, sans one, who is suspended for getting involved with Genma. Sakura had to sit through a brutal scolding from her Chief for being unable to handle her interns well. The good thing that came out of it was that her interns seem to have found a new level of respect and comradery for her.

Things start going downhill when Sakura sends one of her interns to fetch two medications from the storage unit on the fourth floor. He doesn't return even after fifteen minutes. Sakura instructs the others to stay with the patient and goes to see what the holdup is. He might have been stopped by a senior doctor and Sakura supposes that she might have to explain as the person-in-charge, but that seems unlikely.

She takes the elevator to the fourth floor. There are no patients, only various rooms with extra storage space for hospital logistical items. A nurse passes by her with handful of items, and Sakura frowns. There seems to be no reason for her intern to take this long if the floor is empty.

She opens the door of the correct storage room, already calling out, "Dr. Darui?"

No response. Sighing in frustration, she decides to grab the necessary bottles herself and deal with Dr. Darui later when she finds him.

Sakura turns the corner of one of the shelves and freezes.

Dr. Darui is lying on the floor in his own puddle of blood, gurgling, shaking, and eyes wide with shock. It takes Sakura two seconds to react. She runs to him quickly and does a swift assessment of his injuries. There is a gunshot wound to the lower right of his abdomen.

Just then, the hospital is abuzz with red alert. Her pager rings and she reads it, all the while putting pressure on the wound with gauze. It says _Code Black_.

Shit. Code Black is for immediate lockdown. The elevators will be deactivated, and all the individuals within the building will have to stay put wherever they are. Clearly, they've just now realised that there's a lunatic with a gun on the loose.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Sakura tries to focus on the task at hand.

"Dr. Darui? Can you hear me? Blink once to say yes."

He blinks.

"Great. I need you to stay calm, okay? You need immediate surgery, but I need to assess the injury first. The hospital is in lockdown and we won't be able to go anywhere. I'm going to shift you slightly to check if there is an exit wound."

He blinks again.

Sakura curses mentally when she sees there's no exit wound. She tries to see on the bright side of her current predicament. She's in a storage room with all the supplies she'll need to treat him – or at least, supplies to get by for the time being. Granted, it's not sterilized, but she will have to make do with what she has if she wants to give Dr. Darui a shot at staying alive.

She grabs his hand and places it on the gauze on his abdomen. "Hold this. Apply pressure. I need to grab a few things. I'll be right here, don't worry."

Sakura moves around the room, quickly collecting everything that she'd need for a quick fix on a GSW. She sighs in relief when she finds the blood bags in the freezer in the back of the room.

It takes her fifteen minutes. All through the process, she keeps an eye on Dr. Darui's condition. She sets up a rudimentary sterilized field and surgical equipment. She hangs the IV bag and the blood bag on a higher shelf, drags Dr. Darui on a clean bedsheet slowly, and takes a deep breath to centre her mind.

She wears gloves, mask, and a surgical gown she found in one of the boxes. The only problem now was –

"There's no anaesthesia," she tells him softly. "Do you understand what it means?"

He blinks.

"I need you to stay as quiet as possible, okay? I'm going to keep a clean cloth in your mouth so that we don't attract … anyone."

He blinks again, and then his eyes are widening further. He is scared. So is Sakura, for that matter, but she doesn't think it'd be a good idea to tell him that.

Sakura has never believed in God. Kakashi and Uncle Obito never taught her or told her she should be doing that. When Sakura had questioned them, when she was old enough to do that and because she'd seen many people following God, the two men sat her down and said this –

 _"Well," Kakashi begins_ , _"you see, doll, God is not someone you can see or touch, or talk to for that matter, the way we can do with each other."_

_"You mean God is not a scientific creation?"_

_Kakashi pauses. "Yes. There is no empirical evidence as such. Of course, some people do believe there is, but not in the way you're used to."_

_"I don't get it."_

_Uncle Obito takes over. "God is not supposed to be a person. There is no He or She. You know how sometimes you feel like stealing a cookie but then you don't?"_

_Sakura nods, following the question. "Yes, I almost do, at times. But then I remember that you'd told me not to, and if you find out, you'd be upset. So I don't."_

_"So your mind tells you what the right thing to do is, correct?"_

_Sakura frowns. "Yes, who else will?"_

_The two men grin widely. Uncle Obito pats her head, and says, "That's God."_

So Sakura never became religious the way she'd seen people around her do. Kakashi and Uncle Obito always taught her that the best thing to do is to listen to your mind, and believe in it. Even if you turn out to be wrong, it's fine, because it's all part of the process.

_"What process?" she asks one day._

_"The process of learning," Kakashi says. "Of growing up."_

When Sakura came across theories such as the Big Bang and the Theory of Everything, she also came across people questioning _"What about before Big Bang? What was the catalyst for it? Doesn't this tell you that God exists?"_

And Sakura began counter-questioning, _"Just because we don't know something isn't proof that a deity exists. It only means that we don't know something at that time, don't you think? When you were born, did you know everything? No. You learned as you grew up. It's all part of the process."_

This is what Sakura focuses on as she operates on Dr. Darui in the storage room for a GSW by a person who apparently believes that shooting someone is a fantastic way to deal with things.

It takes her quite some time, but she manages to stop the bleed and take out the bullet. When she stops to think over her next steps, the door to the storage room opens. Sakura freezes. There are heavy footsteps and she puts a finger to her mouth to signal Dr. Darui not to make a sound.

It's difficult because the man's hands are clenched tightly, his abdomen is open, and his breathing is ragged.

Sakura waits with bated breath. The footsteps are coming closer.

Dr. Darui suddenly screams, a few stitches come loose, and more blood starts to flow. The footsteps hurry across the last leg of the distance, and Sakura looks up just as Genma's father, Mr. Sakinaka, appears on the corner.

He's holding a gun pointed directly at her. Sakura swallows. Her entire body is trembling.

"Don't," Mr. Sakinaka warns her. "Don't try to save him. He was there. And so were you. Genma died because of you."

Sakura glances at Dr. Darui. The blood is coming out faster.

"Mr. Sakinaka," she says in a shaking voice, "please. Please don't do this. I need to stop the blood. Don't shoot. Please. My name is Haruno Sakura. I knew Genma. Think about him. He wouldn't want you to commit murders!"

His face turns furious. "Don't you dare pretend as if you knew my son!"

Dr. Darui is turning whiter by every passing second. Without thinking, she resumes treating him again.

"I said, don't!" Mr. Sakinaka shouts. "Stop that. Don't save him."

"I have to," she cries. "I can't let him die!"

"Stop or I'll shoot."

Sakura doesn't stop. She thinks about Kakashi and Uncle Obito. She thinks about the time when Kakashi and Uncle Obito bought her a bicycle for her sixth birthday and took her out every day to teach. She thinks about the bird she'd saved when she was eight, and the two men had thrown a small party to congratulate her on saving a life. She thinks about the time when they'd sat her down and explained menstrual cycles when she was twelve with cheeks flushed red. She thinks about the time when she'd told them that everyone teased her for being a bookworm and they consoled her. She thinks about the way they'd been crushed when Sakura had to leave for college but tried to put on brave faces for her sake.

She thinks about Sasuke and Itachi and Naruto and Ino. She thinks about the nice store clerk, Karui, who'd helped her and wants to be an engineer. She thinks about Dr. Orochimaru, and wonders whether he'd be proud or disgusted, and then she wonders whether he's alive to do so.

She thinks about a lot of things in an attempt to not think about the gun pointed at her that will go off any second now. She locks her eyes with Dr. Darui's and sees regret, fear, and apology mirroring back.

Her ears are ringing even as her hands work on the wound. Mr. Sakinaka's voice doesn't reach her anymore, it's muffled and at a distance and doesn't bother her anymore. Sakura thinks about Kakashi and Uncle Obito's smiles, focuses on them, when the sound of a bullet pierces the air and leaves behind a ringing silence.

There's a moment suspended in time as Sakura slowly looks up, her body frozen in shock, but Mr. Sakinaka is not standing where he was anymore. It takes her a few seconds to register that the man is lying down and not moving a muscle. It takes her another second to register the fact that there are men in black uniforms surrounding her and the dead man, and someone is tugging on her elbow.

"Ma'am? Can you move? Can you hear me?"

"He needs immediate attention," she says blankly. "I need an operating room."

"Ma'am?" the man says again, the one who is holding onto her elbow. "We need to get you out. You're in shock."

"He needs surgery," she repeats.

"Call a unit of doctors, stat," he orders. "We have an injured doctor. Call a unit." He tugs on her arm again. "Ma'am? Are you hurt anywhere?"

It takes her a few seconds to respond because she honestly doesn't understand what he means. She can barely feel anything, let alone hurt.

"Um… no."

Sakura is led by another man towards the door, out of it, to the staircase, down to the main lobby, and out of the hospital. The sunlight and the chaos is jarring to her senses – enough for her to realise that she's – finally – safe.

There is no man with a gun pointing at her. There is no bleeding doctor under her hands.

The man is now leading her towards one of the ambulances parked nearby. An EMT rushes forward, helps Sakura out of the mask, gloves, and the surgical gown. The EMT winces when he sees the blood on Sakura's uniform.

"Are you sure you're not injured?" he asks.

"This is not my blood."

He stares at her hard before nodding. He grabs a blanket from the back of the ambulance and drapes it over her shoulders. He makes her sit and hands her a bottle of water.

She doesn't drink it.

There is media outside the barrier that the police force has put up. There is a crowd of civilians gathered to witness the spectacle. Sakura is just about to ask for Ino, for the Chief, for Dr. Orochimaru, for Shino, and for her interns, and _is everyone safe?_ when she hears someone familiar calling her name loudly.

"Sakura! Here! Sakura! Hey, I know her! Let us through!"

Sasuke, Naruto, and Itachi cross the barrier. They're all white as paper, but clearly relieved. Sakura gets to her feet just as Sasuke throws his arms around her in a hug.

"I'm okay," she says, then repeats it more convincingly.

When Sasuke pulls back and notices the blood, he sucks in a sharp breath.

"It's not mine," she assures them. "It's not. I'm okay. What are you guys doing here?"

"It's all over the news!" Naruto says anxiously. "We came as soon as we saw it."

"Oh."

"Move it! That's our daughter!"

Sakura turns sharply to watch Kakashi and Uncle Obito making their way towards her. They're jogging, their faces crumpled in fear and relief and pain, and Sakura is nearly bowled over by the force of their combined hug.

She breathes in the familiar scent of her childhood, of safety, feels the arms of her home tightening around her form, and finally breaks down as a staggering rush of relief overcomes her.

* * *


	6. Being a Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name dedicated to the entire MCU.

All Sakura can think about is that her Chief was shot. Her Chief was shot because Mr. Sakinaka was aiming for Dr. Orochimaru and the Chief distracted him, and in a panic, he shot her instead. It gave Dr. Orochimaru time to bodily throw Mr. Sakinaka outside of Chief's office, shut the door, and activate Code Black. Following this, Mr. Sakinaka started roaming the halls with the gun, shot a few more staff members, and eventually found Sakura in the storage room where he'd shot Dr. Darui – his first victim.

All Sakura can think about is that her Chief is alive, Dr. Orochimaru is alive, Dr. Darui is alive, and Ino is alive.

All Sakura can think about is that Sasuke, Itachi, and Naruto had hurried to check on her when they saw the events on the news in their office.

All Sakura can think about is that Kakashi and Uncle Obito are staying with her, and refuse to go back, even though Sakura is supposed to receive hospital mandated therapy sessions before she can be cleared for surgery again.

All Sakura can think about is that Itachi didn't hug her, didn't say a single word to her, didn't offer any kind of comfort. All he did was hold her gaze, the way he always does, and Sakura knew, she _knew_ , that he understands.

Sasuke, Naruto, Itachi, Kakashi, and Uncle Obito stayed with her when she had to give her statement to the police. Kakashi was holding her right hand and Uncle Obito was holding her left hand. She began by explaining Genma's case, how Mr. Sakinaka visited the hospital a few times demanding answers, and then Shino had seen him on that day, and Sakura continued on her rounds, sending Dr. Darui, then going to check-up on him when he didn't return immediately, finding him with a gunshot wound, giving him emergency surgery, then Mr. Sakinaka had turned up, and Sakura couldn't stop operating –

"Wait," the police had interrupted. "You continued the treatment with his gun pointed at you?"

"I couldn't let Darui die," she had said.

"He said and I quote 'Stop or I'll shoot', and you … didn't stop?"

"I couldn't let Darui die," she had repeated.

By the time she was done with the statement, her hands were nearly crushed.

In the following weeks, Sakura is approached by various reporters wanting to hear about the story, and she refuses to say anything.

After she got home on that day, Sakura doesn't come out of her bedroom for three days straight. On the fourth day, Itachi knocks on her door.

"It's me," he says. "Can I come in?"

Sakura is sitting on the floor by the foot of her bed, holding her knees to her chest. "No."

"Okay. I'll just talk from here." She hears some shuffling and when he speaks next, Sakura wonders whether he's made himself comfortable by sitting down on the other side of her door. "You'll have to come out at one point."

"Yeah, but this doesn't have to be that point."

"Maybe not," he concedes. "Then what point will it be?"

"I don't know."

"Okay." A brief moment of silence. "You remember when we had that conversation and you said doctors can't always save the day?"

She doesn't answer.

He soldiers on. "I believe you. It's not always possible for you to save the day, and no one should be expecting it of you, either. However, I also believe that you always have a choice. You don't need to choose being the hero every time, and it's fine. It's okay not to do that."

"I chose to be one."

"Yeah," he says softly. "You chose to be one."

"I could have died."

"We're all going to die at some point," he reminds her.

"I could have died _that day_."

"Sakura," he sighs. "I know that you think you did the wrong thing, that you made the wrong choice. I know that you never wanted to be a hero. I know that now everyone will have great expectations from you, expectations that cannot be possibly met. And that's a scary thought. But you will always have the right to make your own choices, do your own things. I promise you that it is possible to live the life you want, regardless of what people want from you."

Sakura remembers then that Itachi is a prodigy. She remembers that his father wanted to enrol him in the programme for gifted children. She remembers the way Naruto practically kisses the ground that Itachi walks on, because he's proven himself "super-smart". Despite having the mind of a genius, Itachi graduated with his own age group, set up a business of his interest, and is currently speaking with her through a door.

"It is what it is," she repeats his words back to him, the words he'd said when Sakura had asked him if he had any regrets for not taking up his father's offer.

"It is what it is," he repeats after her.

"I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon," she reminds herself. "I'm a surgeon who operates on people because I enjoy the thrill that it gives me."

Itachi chuckles on the other side. "You sound like a psycho doctor," he teases lightly and Sakura doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Why would anyone _enjoy_ cutting people open?"

So Sakura laughs and cries at the same time. "You almost went to pre-med, you jerk."

" _Almost_ being the operative word," he corrects her instantly. "Do you know why I canned the plan?"

"Because your parents only had money for one degree?"

"No," he says. "Because I knew that if I became a doctor, one day I might have to operate on my intern in the storage room. And that's just _yuck_."

She laughs harder. "Oh my god, Itachi! That's so mean!"

"Come on," he insists. "You have to agree that it was disgusting."

"I'm not answering that."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he decides. "Next time a reporter asks, 'why didn't you wait for anyone before starting the treatment?', you should tell them how much you enjoy putting your hands inside people's bodies and you were afraid your secret would be out."

Sakura is in stitches by this point. She gets to her feet somehow, opens the door, and Itachi must have been leaning against it because he suddenly topples over backwards in her bedroom, and Sakura sinks to the floor beside him, laughing even harder.

"You … shouldn't … make fun … like that," she manages to choke out.

Falling over backwards doesn't seem to have fazed him because he's beaming at her, propped up on his elbows on her floor.

"I wasn't joking," he tells her.

She swats his arm. "Shut up."

She sobers up slowly, and it takes her a few moments to notice that Kakashi and Uncle Obito are staring at them through the open door.

"Dinner?" Kakashi finally offers.

"Yes, please," Itachi answers before she can get a word out. "I'm so hungry I feel like I can eat a horse."

Only then does it register that he's wearing his work clothes. This time, it's a white fitting shirt tucked in black pants.

"You look like a waiter."

Itachi rolls his eyes and moves to sit up properly. "I look like a CEO."

They stand up and head to the kitchen area. Uncle Obito is setting out four plates.

"Where's Sasuke?" Sakura asks, frowning. Surely, they're not just going to exclude him?

"With Naruto," Itachi informs her and instead of taking a seat, goes to the cupboard to pull out wine glasses. He knows where she keeps her alcohol, as well, and it takes a second to remember that she's never told him that.

"Itachi," Kakashi calls out from where he's spooning out the salad onto the plates. "Can you grab the forks, too?"

And Itachi does that. The three of them work around each other as if this is a daily occurrence.

"What am I missing?" Sakura eventually blurts out.

All three men pause in what they're doing to stare at her instead.

"Oh, well, you see," Uncle Obito begins awkwardly. "Since you were unavailable –"

"Holed up," Itachi corrects him.

"We had the boys over for meals," Kakashi finishes. "You know, getting to know the boys staying across the hall from my daughter and all that."

Sakura flushes, understanding the implication. "They're my friends! Not … not that."

Kakashi shrugs. Itachi looks away. Uncle Obito beams at her.

* * *

"Sakura," Itachi says conversationally when they're having dinner, "you never told me that Kakashi writes porn."

Sakura chokes and Uncle Obito immediately thumps her on the back, hard. "You … you told him that?"

Kakashi shrugs as if it's no big deal. "He asked me what I did for a living."

"I think it's great," Itachi muses. "I mean, someone has to do the job."

"Exactly," Kakashi agrees. "Sakura, can you imagine what would happen to our population if there were no porn books?"

Sakura groans loudly, cringe-worthy memories filling her mind. "I know, I know," she says loudly. "Population boom."

"So what is it that I do?"

"You save the world," Sakura sighs.

"Ingenious," Itachi compliments whole-heartedly. "Never thought of it that way."

"Sakura," Uncle Obito begins, "you never told us that your neighbour is the CEO of Uchiha Corp. and his younger brother."

"I did," Sakura says. "I told you my neighbours were nerds."

"Says the nerd," Itachi quips instantly.

"Sasuke is such a delightful young man," Uncle Obito gushes. "And his boyfriend? Naruto? What a refreshing personality!"

Itachi and Sakura both choke, and Kakashi and Uncle Obito thump on their backs.

"They're not," Sakura gasps.

"They're not dating," Itachi breathes out. His eyes are watering.

"Oh," Uncle Obito frowns, disappointed. "They would make a great couple."

"More wine, anyone?" Sakura almost yells.

"Please!" Itachi holds out his glass.

"What about you, Itachi?" Kakashi inquires. "No romantic partner?"

"No," Itachi answers carefully.

"Never?"

Sakura's interests piques. They've never spoken about their romantic love lives. This should be fun. In fact, it's difficult to imagine Itachi ever being in a relationship with anyone. He's always been so completely … himself, as if he'll never need anyone else to fill up spaces for him. There don't seem to be any spaces _to_ fill up.

"Well," Itachi drags out. "I've been in one long term relationship before. And dated a few women over the years."

"Really?" Sakura asks, taken aback. "I've never seen you go on dates."

"Not recently, I haven't," he admits. "I've been really busy with starting up my company."

"Oh?" Kakashi interjects. "When was the last time you dated?"

"You know," Itachi laughs nervously. "I don't even remember that."

"So when was the long-term relationship?" Uncle Obito asks, tilting his head curiously.

Itachi is clearly uncomfortable being under the spotlight for discussing his personal life. Sakura purses her lips to stop herself from giggling.

"During high school," he answers. "We broke up when I moved for college."

"Ah…" Uncle Obito nods his head with utter seriousness. "Long distance is always difficult."

"I guess," Itachi shrugs. "But it wasn't just that. I didn't think it was worth to try a long distance relationship."

"Why not?" Kakashi frowns.

"I didn't … well, I didn't…"

"Love her?" Uncle Obito suggests, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. That."

Sakura stares at Itachi. She didn't know he is the type of person to consider love, or even make decisions based on it. Granted, Sakura knows that Itachi does _love_ people – such as Sasuke, his parents – but to think that Itachi might have a romantic dimension to his personality is strangely alluring. Here is a person who cannot comprehend social relations and boundaries, and yet, was able to comprehend something like love for the sake of a relationship.

"It's alright," Uncle Obito comforts the man. "All in good time."

Itachi offers a strained smile, but doesn't speak on the topic further. The two men get the hint, and Kakashi diverts the conversation to his own recent research instead. It's not exactly the best experience to be listening to Kakashi rant about a swinger's club but Sakura doesn't say anything when she sees Itachi take a huge gulp of his wine.

* * *

Sasuke arrives after they're done with dinner. He enters the apartment using his own set of keys that Sakura doesn't remember giving him.

"Sakura!" he grins as soon as he sees her near the sink. He bounds over quickly to hug her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she mutters in his chest with a crushed face. "I'm fine."

He pulls back.

"How do you have the keys for this place?" she asks, hands on her hips.

"That'd be me," Kakashi calls out from the couch. He's sitting on one side with his back resting against the armrest, and his feet in Uncle Obito's lap on the other side. "Obi and I had to go out for some work yesterday, so we gave the boys your emergency keys."

"You're not getting them back, by the way," Itachi tells her. He's leaning against the counter with hands crossed over his chest.

"Why not?" she demands. Sasuke nudges her aside to access one of the cupboards and pulls out the bottle of wine for himself.

Itachi snorts. "With the way you keep passing out from exhaustion, I think we _need_ the keys."

Sakura shoots him a warning glare. She doesn't care for such details when she's filling Kakashi and Uncle Obito about her life. She paints a nice picture for them, most of the times, so that they wouldn't worry.

"Don't mind us," Kakashi says lazily. He's not even watching her. "We always know when you lie to us, doll. Never forget I taught you the skills."

"And I can vouch for the fact that he's a big, fat liar," Uncle Obito mutters even as he massages Kakashi's feet.

"Takes one to know one," Kakashi tells him and smiles sweetly.

"How was dinner with Naruto?" Sakura asks Sasuke, mostly to direct the conversation elsewhere.

Sasuke perks up. "It went well. He's worried about you, too, by the way. I promised him I'd call with news. Hang on, I'll just send him a quick text to let him know you're okay."

Uncle Obito is giving her pointed looks from behind Sasuke. Sakura and Itachi catch each other's eyes for a few seconds, before Itachi shakes his head and Sakura understands.

_Let's not get it in our heads._

"Also," Sasuke continues after pocketing his phone, "I was wondering if you wanna watch the next MCU movie?"

Sakura considers. "Yeah … yeah, let's do it."

Sasuke throws her another grin. "Great! I'll let Naruto know, too." He takes out his phone again to do just that. "Naruto says he can come over tomorrow night." He walks to the couch. "You guys fine with that?"

"Totally," Uncle Obito agrees. "Movie nights are my favourite."

* * *

The next morning, Sakura comes out from her bedroom to find Itachi, Sasuke, Uncle Obito, and Kakashi nursing mugs of coffees in their hands. Itachi is in his work attire, leaning against the kitchen counter with his phone in the other hand, Kakashi and Sasuke are sitting at the table, and Uncle Obito is reading a newspaper on the couch.

None of them is speaking.

"Since when do I get newspaper?"

They don't look up. The only indication that they're aware of her presence is when Uncle Obito answers distractedly a few moments later, "You don't. I bought it."

"Right. This is so not weird," she mutters under her breath and grabs a mug. Itachi moves to give her space.

* * *

Sasuke puts in the DVD for The Incredible Hulk, and takes his seat on the floor beside her. Kakashi, Uncle Obito and Naruto are sitting on the couch, which left Sakura, Itachi, and Sasuke to sit on the floor with this backs resting against the couch. They're in 10A since Sakura still doesn't own a TV.

Sakura asks them why they're not watching the next Iron Man movie instead, and Sasuke explains that the order is not that straightforward. He says that Iron Man 2 is after Hulk, and then it's Thor 1.

By the time the movie gets over, Kakashi seems to be regretting his decision to have sat through it with what are clearly Uncle Obito and his four clones.

* * *

On the Sunday of that week, Sasuke tells Sakura over morning coffee that they're going to the nearby hill for an outing. He explains that the seasonal fruits are best up there, and he knows one place that Sakura _has_ to visit at least once in her life.

"It's a beautiful spot," he says excitedly. "You can see the whole valley and you're literally in the clouds."

Sakura is dubious. "I don't know, Sasuke."

"Come on," he pleads. "It doesn't take long to reach. It's only a forty-five-minute drive."

"I didn't know you were the road trip kind of a person," she remarks.

He flushes a light pink. "I'm not," he admits. "Itachi showed it to me."

Sakura swivels her eyes to Itachi. He's on the couch with Uncle Obito and they're speaking amongst themselves in low voices. When Itachi learned that Uncle Obito is a journalist, he immediately started hogging most of his attention to speak about the various industrialists that Uncle Obito has met or interviewed.

Sakura remembers that the first time she'd seen Itachi, she'd wondered whether he is the outdoorsy type of a person. His skin is lightly tanned, but Sakura has never heard of any outing since the time she has known the brothers. Granted, she doesn't know _everything_ about them …

"I don't know," she repeats to Sasuke. She doesn't feel enthusiastic about hiking up a small mountain on such short notice. She prefers to run on flat surfaces.

"Sakura," Sasuke whines. "It'll be fun! Don't make me use Naruto to convince you because we both know you'll agree then anyway."

She honestly might. Sakura has realised that Sasuke keeps Naruto close to him for a variety of reasons, but he seems to enjoy Naruto's convincing powers more than anything else. Moreover, it doesn't take Naruto a lot to convince, either. All he has to do is smile and ask nicely.

It is safe to say that Sakura has started to feel sympathetic towards Mrs. Uchiha and her bakery.

Sakura groans. " _Fine_." Sasuke cheers. "But just a drive, check out the spot, and then we're back. I don't want to spend inordinate amount of time up there."

"Done," Sasuke readily agrees.

Kakashi and Uncle Obito refuse the offer.

"You kids have fun," Kakashi says. "And come back in one piece. Sakura might be physically fit, but she prefers cutting people open than hiking."

"You got it," Naruto promises and gives him a thumbs-up.

Naruto, Shikamaru, Itachi, Sasuke, and Sakura file in the elevator in a neat line and leave.

* * *

Itachi takes the wheel. Sakura is squeezed in the back between an overly excited Naruto and an overly disinterested Shikamaru. The drive takes a little over an hour, and only because Naruto insists on stopping at various spots to click photos. He even haggles with a street-side seller and buys them all cotton candy.

The sky is overcast. When they start climbing up the hill, Sasuke and Naruto start bickering on which spot to park at until Itachi finally reminds them that he's driving the car, and he is the one who knows the area better than they do.

They eventually do stop in the clouds. When Sakura steps out of the car behind Naruto, she has to squint to see anything in the fog. It takes a few moments to adjust, and by the time everyone is out of the car Sakura can faintly see the edge of the cliff and the valley beyond.

"Let's walk downhill," Itachi calls out. "The fog is denser than I thought it would be. I don't want Naruto to accidentally topple off."

Naruto protests loudly but follows Sasuke as they begin the walk. Sakura stays close to Itachi on her front and Shikamaru is carefully trailing in the back.

Sasuke leads them to another edge of the cliff and the fog is thinner and the valley is clearer. Sakura blinks in surprise. Sasuke was right. The view truly is beautiful. There is nothing beyond the cliff but the greenery below and the sky above. There is a cool, crisp chill in the air and it calms down Sakura like medicine.

She takes in a deep breath and slowly lets it out. She's standing between Itachi and Sasuke now, and she knows that it's not true, but it feels as if they're standing on the edge of the world.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru eventually spread out. Sakura doesn't move, and neither does Itachi.

Sakura thinks about Genma and his proposal. She thinks about the heartbroken intern. She thinks about Genma's father, who died in search of relief for the grief that he was facing, who didn't know what to do anymore and resorted to taking another life for his son's lost one. She thinks about Dr. Darui and his open abdomen in the storage room, and her hands dipped in his blood.

Standing on the edge of the world, Sakura thinks about many things. Most of all, though, she thinks about Itachi and Sasuke's value in her life, of Naruto's smile, and Shikamaru's disinterest. She thinks about Hinata's words _having a strong spirit as well._

Itachi had said that it's okay not to be the hero. It's okay to _choose_ not to be a hero. It's okay to want the life that you want to live, despite what others expect of you.

Sakura is not Tony Stark. She is not the Iron Man. She was not kidnapped by a terrorist group, and she didn't create an armour of metal. Sakura is not a hero. She never thought of becoming one. The concept of "hero" was never even in her dictionary. Yet, here she was, standing on the edge of the world, contemplating on the thin line between heroism and stupidity.

When Sakura was eight, and she saved the bird, Kakashi took her to a psychologist. Not because he thought she was insane, but because he thought she was special. The psychologist told him that Sakura is good enough to skip a few grades, and so Kakashi took her advice, happy beyond words that his little doll was gifted with a sharp mind. Sakura finished high school early, and even skipped one year of college. The choice that Itachi's father couldn't make for his son because Itachi's mother stood her ground, Kakashi did with Sakura.

He encouraged her, pushed her, made her believe in the strength of her mind. He told her that she was a special girl, and she could do great things if she ever wishes to. He told her that mistakes are alright, that wrong decisions are part of the process, but she must always choose to have faith in herself. He taught her the value of knowledge, that knowledge is never black and white, but the ability to see the grey between them.

_"It's not what you know that's important," he would say, "but what you do with it."_

When she was twelve years old, and Kakashi and Uncle Obito sat in front of her, surrounded by over fifty packets of tampons and sanitary pads, and explained the menstrual cycle to her, and how she'd need to use them very soon –

_"I know this," she insisted, "I read about it already."_

_"Well," Kakashi cleared his throat, "that's that, then."_

_"Basically, I'm killing babies," she said._

_"No," Kakashi corrected her, "you're killing the chances of having a baby."_

_"Don't you think that's bad? That I'm not giving it a chance to live?"_

_Kakashi hmmed thoughtfully. "You will have many chances, doll. When you're ready, you will take it. Only when you're ready."_

_"All in good time," Uncle Obito quipped in._

Sakura thinks about many things, standing beside Itachi on the cliff, until the pieces in her mind begin to fall back into place. Until she learns how to believe in her mind again, that it wouldn't betray her faith in it, the way Kakashi had taught her. Until she accepts that she wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she'd let Dr. Darui die on her watch.

She feels the light drizzle start to fall, and it takes her a moment to realise that her cheeks are not wet because of the rain.

* * *


	7. To Be or Not To Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name dedicated to the infamous peril of every person ever, since Sir William Shakespeare decided that it's a fantastic idea to point it out for us.

One month later.

The doors to the elevators open and Sakura steps out. A moment later, the door to 10A opens as well.

"Hey guys," she greets. "Where are you going?"

"Shikamaru is freaking out," Sasuke winces. "He wants to propose."

"Okay… Wow. That's great, right?"

"Not really," Itachi gives a strained smile. "He wants us to talk him out of it."

"What?" she stares. "Why?"

Sakura has met Temari once, when she'd accompanied Shikamaru to 10A. She is a tall, blonde, green-eyed female Hulk. Very quick to lose her temper, sharp tongued, and an incredible chef. Naruto says that Shikamaru is scared of her because Temari is Mrs. Nara two point O.

"He believes that he's conforming to societal conventions despite being smarter than that," Itachi explains.

"That … makes sense."

"You should come with us," Sasuke says, suddenly inspired. "You can be Team Switzerland."

"But I'm not Team Switzerland," she frowns and crosses her hands across her chest. "I'm Team Shikamaru."

"That's even better," Sasuke beams. "He's expecting us to list out all the reasons why he shouldn't go through with it, and if you support his idea then we are free to counter him!"

"I think you're spending way too much time with Naruto," she tells him and Itachi laughs.

Sasuke shoots her a glare. "It's a good idea. Come on, this is a big decision for him. You're his friend. Hinata and Naruto are also going to be present."

"And friends are supposed to help with big decisions," Itachi adds.

Sakura rolls her eyes. "Where are we meeting them?"

* * *

Sakura has never been to Naruto's place before this. It's a studio apartment near their office (Itachi points out the building as they cross it), and it's every bit as you'd expect his house to be. The space is exploding with colours, there are no distinct boundaries to the layout, and he has potted plants _everywhere_. The place is, literally and figuratively, brimming with life.

Hinata is the only person who has arrived when they enter. Sasuke heads straight for a red beanbag to snuggle in, Sakura and Itachi take the other two seats on the orange couch, and Naruto seats himself on his desk, his legs dangling listlessly.

They make small talk until Shikamaru arrives twenty minutes later, looking a little wild.

"Oh, good, you're here," he says, catching Sakura's gaze. "I wanted to talk to you, too."

"I get it," she says instantly.

"What?"

"Why you think you shouldn't propose," Sakura explains.

"Oh. No. No, it's not that," he shakes his head. He drags Naruto's desk chair near Sasuke's beanbag and takes a seat.

"Well?"

"I had quite an interesting conversation with Temari's brother." His eyes are narrowed as though he's trying to figure her out.

"Okay…"

"Sakura," he says seriously, "do you know where Temari is from?"

"Not really, no."

"She's from Suna. Her brother is Sabaku Kankuro."

Sakura tenses. "No."

"Yes."

"No."

" _Yes_ ," he says forcefully. "Would you like to know what he said to me?"

"No."

Shikamaru ignores her. "He told me how he knew one Haruno Sakura in college."

"Well, yeah," Sasuke says coolly. "Sakura went to college in Suna. We know that already."

Sakura licks her lips. She's suddenly feeling a little hot under Shikamaru's heavy stare.

"He said and I quote, 'we called her Pinkette because she was a tiny little thing'."

Naruto and Sasuke start laughing. Hinata and Itachi, on the other hand, sitting on either side of her on the couch, feel how tense Sakura becomes. So they keep quiet.

"You were a 'tiny little thing' because you were fifteen when you went to college," Shikamaru finishes, effectively shutting up the laughing men and leaving an uncomfortable silence behind.

"You're kidding," Naruto finally says in surprise. "He's kidding, right?"

Sakura stays silent. She can feel Itachi's eyes on her, and flushes a bright red.

"We've got two of you?" Naruto continues and shudders at the thought.

There's another bout of silence.

"We …" she says and clears her throat. "We're here to … to talk about Shika. And whether he should propose or not."

"Yeah!" Sasuke grabs on immediately. He's been shooting her odd looks since Shikamaru's 'revelation'. "Shika, just do it."

Shikamaru's eyes widen as he remembers his predicament. "I can't," he croaks out.

"Of course, you can," Hinata says encouragingly. "You love her and she loves you."

"Exactly," Naruto quips in. "You guys are already living together, why not make it legal? That's the only thing that will change, right?"

"I brought you together to tell me how I shouldn't do it," Shikamaru snaps.

"They're saying that because I'm on your side, and they feel they're now free to tell you how they truly feel," Sakura tells him.

"You are?"

Sakura is distinctly aware that Itachi hasn't uttered a single word yet. "Itachi told me that you don't wish to conform to societal conventions."

"Yes," Shikamaru says carefully.

"The convention being that two people who love each other get married, making their union a legal contract, and stay happily ever after? Because I get it. Love isn't, you know, a real thing."

"Not exactly that. The convention being that marriage is nothing but a man-made institution designed to keep two individuals associated with each other, originally for procreation, but which is now taking a turn towards being a trend. It's a business. The individuals who get married don't _need_ to join their assets, and this is keeping aside the inequality that takes place in the event of a divorce. So tell me this: why should I buy into this notion when I can stay with her without getting married, anyway?"

Five pairs of eyes stare at him in silence.

Itachi is the one who breaks it. "Everything is a business," he says and Sakura has no choice but to look at him. He's calmly assessing his friend. "You can either wish to believe in it or you don't. Either you can decide not to marry her as a personal protest against the commercialized institution of marriage, or you can decide to marry her because you want to spend your life with her. Of course, you can do so without ever getting married; however, the process of a marriage itself is what makes it meaningful. The conversations that take place because of it between the two individuals are of great value for personal growth and is a testament towards the relationship that they share.

"Yes, you can stay with her as you are currently doing, or you can talk with her about which lilies to choose for the table, which cake to pick, whom to invite, whom to not invite, do you like that cousin enough, or whether you want a pre-nup, what are your retirement plans, and since you're involving the government anyway, then why not make yourselves a recognized team in the eyes of the law?"

Itachi catches Sakura's eyes before she can look away. "Wouldn't you agree?"

She slowly nods. "I suppose."

"Besides," Itachi turns to Shikamaru once more. "There are better things to protest in the world, Shika. Pick something else, and stop making excuses just because you're chickening out."

The air breaks and Sakura giggles. Naruto whistles and Sasuke smirks.

"You're a cocky asshole," Shikamaru states.

Itachi shrugs coolly. "I know. A cocky asshole who understands marriage better than you so-called well-adjusted humans."

"Shit. Okay. I'm going to do it," Shikamaru says nervously. He's starting to break out a sweat. "Tonight. I'll do it tonight."

Amidst the cheers that follow the announcement, Hinata suddenly puts up a hand. "Do you even have a ring?"

Shikamaru turns a deep red. "Yeah. I bought it two weeks ago."

"You bought the ring and then wanted to cancel the proposal?" Naruto gives him an incredulous look.

"Like he said," Shikamaru mutters and points at Itachi, "I was chickening out."

* * *

Later that night, Sakura gets out of her bed and walks to the front door. Itachi is standing on the other side, wearing his home clothes.

"Can I come in?"

Sakura frowns. It's past midnight. After Shikamaru's decision, Naruto had insisted that they celebrate. He popped out some wine. Soon after, Shikamaru announced that he needed to leave if he was going to propose tonight, and then everyone started leaving, too. During the entire car ride back home, they kept the radio on.

"Yeah, of course."

The place has begun to feel a little empty since Kakashi and Uncle Obito left. She almost wishes that they return. As soon as she sits on the couch, Itachi speaks.

He doesn't join her. He chooses to stand, his hands crossed over his chest. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She knows what he's referring to. She's been waiting for this since they left Naruto's apartment.

"I … I didn't know how to."

He frowns, displeased with the answer. "You asked me why I wasn't in the programme for gifted individuals because you were."

"Yes."

"Why did you ask me if I regret graduating the traditional way?"

Sakura bites her lip.

"Do you regret it? Is that it?"

He still doesn't sit down. For the first time, Sakura feels his overwhelming presence. It feels as though Itachi is filling up every corner of her apartment, staying right where he is. It's disconcerting.

"Kakashi said that it's a gift."

"Do you regret it?"

"I was the youngest in pre-med."

"Do you regret it?"

Sakura gulps. "I … people want this, you know. People want to feel special."

"Damn it, Sakura," Itachi hisses and takes a step forward. "It's a simple question!"

"But it's not!" Sakura fires back. "It's not so easy."

"Explain."

"I know that people think this is not a big deal," she says shakily. "I mean, it seems such an easy decision, right? You've got a gifted child, you skip grades. You give them an environment where they can grow intellectually. Itachi, did you never stop and think why your mother didn't allow your father to put you through this?

"You've got to realise the implications. You don't know how it feels to be suddenly taking high school graduation exams when you're fifteen. When everyone is looking at you differently because you're the weird kid who skipped grades. I wasn't even legally an adult and I had to go to college. I had to stay with my father's friend because it was illegal to stay in the dorm. When everyone else was enjoying their freedom, I was studying because I couldn't do what they could. Everyone felt threatened by me so they shunned me out.

"All the adults around me started talking how I'd do great things in life. How I'd become successful and carve out a name for myself. How popular I'd be because of my work.

"And … I know that Kakashi meant good. I know that he did it because he believed in me. He said that I was special, and he always made me feel good about it. But 'special' meant different things to different people. 'Special' for me in school and college meant 'weird'.

"So no, I don't know whether I regret it or not, okay? I've been trying to figure that out my whole life. And with the shooting … everyone is making me feel … it's like high school all over again. The adults around me are, once more, expecting great things from me."

Itachi's stare is intense. He's holding her gaze the way he always does. It's more comforting than anything else and gives Sakura the confidence to continue her spiel.

"You told me _it is what it is_. You told me that it's okay not to be a hero. You told me how I can live my life on my terms. You showed me that. Itachi, you took the path that I couldn't. I asked you if you regret it because I wanted to know whether it would have been okay to choose wanting to be ordinary."

Itachi takes a deep breath. His hands come loose to his sides, and he lets the silence press on between them.

"I do regret it."

Sakura startles. "What?"

He looks ashamed of himself and Sakura's chest tightens.

"Sakura, I'm very proud of what I possess. I know my mother thought about the emotional implications it would have on me, even more so due to my social ineptness, but I was ready to deal with them. If it meant that I'd get the chance to pursue knowledge the way I really wanted to, I was okay with it. I'm not saying that your struggles don't mean anything, of course they do.

"Sakura, I had to deal with sitting amongst individuals who cared very little about things that truly matter. During high school, they were only interested in dances, Prom King and Prom Queen, which party to attend, which Professor is the hottest, which girl has the best ass, and such trivial things that annoyed me to no end. You know what I wanted? I wanted to visit Switzerland to see the Large Hadron Collider. I wanted to visit India to understand how they play with dome structures in their architecture. I wanted to pursue various degrees because I was interested in nothing else. All my Professors knew that I didn't belong there, in those classes. They stopped bothering to teach me after a point, because honestly, they had nothing to teach me that I didn't already know.

"I chose Business Administration only to have a documentation that proves that I understand business. I built a company eventually because that was the quickest way I knew how to make enough money to do the things that I have truly wanted to do in life."

Sakura smiles sadly. "Such as visiting India?"

He mirrors it. "Yeah."

"You know it's cheap to go there, right?"

Itachi chuckles and Sakura feels some of the weight lift off her chest. Just enough to be breathable.

"You wanted an ordinary life," he says, sobering up. "But let me tell you, it's honestly not all that it's cracked up to be."

"Did you at least become the Prom King?"

"Be serious."

"I am."

"No, I didn't become the Prom King, Sakura," he says impatiently. "Why would they make an arrogant, cocky bastard the Prom King?"

Sakura frowns. "I thought that's the prerequisite."

He rolls his eyes as if he can't believe how much of an idiot she is. That's a big feat, considering she did skip grades and he didn't.

 _It is what it is_ , he'd said. She thinks she understands what he meant by it.

Sakura got to live the life that Itachi has always wished for, and he lived the one that Sakura has always chased. Neither of them were satisfied by what they'd been dealt with.

All Itachi has managed to come up with, to make himself feel better about his situation, is _it is what it is_.

Looking at Itachi, standing in her living room in the middle of the night, Sakura feels a rush of affection and sympathy for him. She wishes that there was something that she could do for him, somehow make him feel better. She also realises that the only thing that will make him feel better about this is for him to successfully execute his plan so that he can do everything that he's been wishing for. It's a long-term plan, but she has no doubt that he will pull it off.

Not knowing what to do in the moment, however, is a completely different point. Making a quick decision, she gets to her feet and stalks to him. Before Itachi can do more than becoming suddenly aware of her proximity, Sakura wraps her arms around his waist and tucks her head under his chin. Itachi tenses for the smallest of a moment, but returns the hug eventually.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he mutters quietly, his lips ghosting the top of her head.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, too," she offers sadly. "Deciding the best ass is quite a difficult task."

She feels him smile. "How would you know? You barely had boobs in college."

Sakura laughs and slaps him on his back for good measure. "You jerk!"

"You started it."

She pulls her head back to look him in the eyes, but her arms stay put. "I honestly don't know how you run a business with that attitude."

"I get the work done," he assures her.

"How much money do you make now?"

Itachi groans. His arms tighten around her, though. "Why the hell are you obsessed with that?"

"I'm not obsessed," she retorts. "You said it yourself earlier. You're trying to make the money you'll need for everything you want to do. Naturally, anyone will ask your bank balance."

"No, they won't," he frowns at her.

"You don't know that," Sakura tells him in a soothing voice. "You don't know these things."

"You're materialistic _and_ manipulative," he mutters, eyes trained above her head. "Wonderful."

Sakura scoffs. "Hardly the worst person out there. And there's nothing wrong with asking someone how much money they make. I don't know why it has to be such a sensitive and personal topic."

"Yeah?" he challenges. "How much do you make?"

Sakura tells him the figure instantly.

His eyes widen and then narrow. "And you'll only make more after you finish residency?"

She nods happily. "Yep. Unless I get a promotion before that."

"Like what?"

She shrugs slightly. They still haven't let go of each other. "If I become, say, the Chief Resident. They will increase my responsibilities, because then I'll be managing all the residents _and_ my group of interns _and_ performing all my surgeries _and_ helping Dr. Orochimaru with his research."

He stares for a beat of silence. "That's a lot of stuff to do."

"Says the CEO."

"Touché."

"Your turn," she reminds him. "Bank balance."

Itachi tells her the figure after a moment's consideration. "That's the salary I've set for myself," he explains. "I have to divide the funds in an organized method. Capital, profit, salaries, logistics, rent, and so on."

Sakura is impressed. "You said the business is going well. I think you'll get a salary hike before I do."

He smirks. "Wanna bet?"

She feels a rush of excitement. "What does the winner get?"

Itachi hms under his breath in thought. Then he smirks again. "A date of his or her choice. Of course, the loser pays for it."

She smirks back. "Deal. Just so you know, I _am_ materialistic. Be ready to splurge, genius."

* * *

She loses the bet a few days later.

When she enters 10A with her own keys (she'd demanded the emergency keys from Sasuke to be on equal ground), Itachi is closing the refrigerator door, holding a juice box in his hand. Sasuke is snuggled on the couch with his phone.

Sakura stalks towards Itachi and jabs him in the chest with her finger. "You _knew_."

He raises his eyebrows. "I know many things, Sakura."

She positively snarls. "You knew I'd get a salary hike as _compensation for undergoing emotional and mental trauma_. You run a company! There's no way you don't know this clause. The HR told me it's textbook."

Itachi grins. "Oh, _that_." He flicks the tip of her nose. "Shall I pull up a list for date night ideas?"

"Wait, what?" Sasuke says from the couch. Itachi and Sakura turn to him. "You guys are going on a date?"

"It's a friendly date, Sas," Sakura rolls her eyes at his blank expression. "I lost a bet."

His expression clears and he snickers. "Why would you bet against him? He always wins."

Itachi rubs the side of his nose in a mock imitation of embarrassed modesty.

Sakura narrows her eyes at him. "You _knew_ ," she repeats with a growl.

"And now I know how much money you make," he gives her a manic smile. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't empty your account on my behalf."

Sakura glares at him for another few moments for good measure and then stomps to sit beside Sasuke. He shrugs at her as if to say _you had it coming_.

Itachi soon disappears in his bedroom to shower and change out of his work clothes.

"So listen," Sasuke suddenly whispers urgently. "We're throwing a surprise party for Itachi this Saturday. Please tell me you can make it."

"What's on Saturday?"

"Well, technically, Itachi's birthday is on Friday," he says. "But the party is on Saturday for obvious reasons. I mean, apart from you, we have a holiday on Sunday."

"Yeah, Sherlock," she grumbles at the unnecessary reminder. "I'll keep it free."

He beams. "Great!"

"So who all are coming for this thing?" she asks with interest. Sakura has never met anyone besides Naruto, Shikamaru, Temari, and Hinata from their social circle. She has already gathered from their conversations that there are others.

"People from work," Sasuke replies. "Itachi's only non-work-related friends are you guys."

"What about Kiba?"

Sasuke waves a hand in dismissal. "He's Naruto's friend." His phone chirps and he checks it. "Shit."

"What happened?"

Sasuke sends a quick reply and then hesitates. "Uh, I don't know if you know this, but Itachi has a few exes."

"Izumi?" Sakura asks, remembering the only name Itachi had given during that awful dinner – the only long-term relationship he's had.

Sasuke exhales. "Yes, that's one."

"Oh. Who else?"

"You know how Itachi doesn't really understand these things quickly, right? So whenever he dated someone, it always blew up in his face. He never understood where he went wrong, or how he ended up upsetting the other person. After every failed attempt, we'd sit down with him and explain it."

"Hang on," Sakura interrupts. "Surely, the women he dated knew this?"

Sasuke begins to look a little uncomfortable. "Izumi did. That's why it even lasted that long. She was always trying to become his friend, and Itachi kind of went along with it."

"Okay…"

"I mean, it's not like _no one_ knew. Itachi has a tendency to offend people. I can't even completely blame them, you know? He truly can be difficult at times. He's way too arrogant sometimes and doesn't have a filter."

Sakura frowns but doesn't say anything.

"Anyway," Sasuke hurries on, glancing at Itachi's bedroom door once. "There's this one woman Itachi dated when we first moved here. He was working in this company called Kizoshan. It's a huge company –"

"I know," Sakura interrupts. "They're pretty famous."

"Yeah, so he dated the CEO's daughter."

"What?"

Sasuke nods, wincing. "It only lasted for a few months, though. And she kind of … well, Itachi broke up with her. She didn't take it well. She's been trying to meet up with him, but he kept blowing her off, you know?"

"What does that have to do with this party?"

"That's the thing," Sasuke presses his lips together in irritation before continuing. "She knows it's his birthday this week, and Naruto just texted me that she might gate-crash."

"How does he know that?"

"Oh, shit, right," Sasuke rubs his forehead with his palm. Sakura feels a little bad for him now. He seems to be stressing out over this whole event – meaning, Itachi's life. "So one of Naruto's friends – Gaara – he works at Kizoshan. Gaara heard it from Kim who is pretty close with Samui – that's the CEO's daughter."

"Why don't you just tell her not to come?"

"Sakura," he says patiently, "don't you think Naruto already tried that? He keeps trying to tell her to back off because she hounds on him every time they meet through friends, to ask about Itachi."

"But it's your apartment," Sakura says, exasperated. "I'm sure you can keep one person out."

"Obviously, I'm gonna try!" Sasuke defends. "But you never know!"

"It'll be _fine_ ," Sakura reassures him, taking in his wild eyes. "I mean, it's just one person. Even if she does come, I don't see how that's the end of the world. If Itachi blows her off, like you say he does, he'll just do it again."

"She's not a good person," Sasuke admits. "She wasn't very nice to him. I don't want her here because Itachi will not like it."

"How about we talk to her?" Sakura suggests. She doesn't really want to do that, getting involved in this way with Itachi's ex, but looking at Sasuke's obvious concern and distress, Sakura thinks _well, what the hell._

"You mean before the party?"

"Yes. Let's meet up with her, and explain that she shouldn't bother Itachi anymore."

"Sakura, she's a powerful person in the business industry. She is capable of ruining Itachi's image easily. You know how hard he's been working for this company. If we mess it up for him, he'll never forgive us."

Sakura sighs. "I hate politics."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"I'm surprised, though," Sakura frowns. "Itachi isn't the kind of person to hold back a comment or two, why hasn't she already, you know, taken it personally?"

"It's different when he says something mean, and it's different when I say it."

The way Sasuke's face scrunches up in disgust is enough to let Sakura know that Kizoshan's CEO's daughter has some tasteful bedroom preferences.

Sakura shudders.

Itachi's bedroom door opens and he stops when he sees the two of them wearing identical, stinky expressions.

"What's wrong with you two?"

"Sasuke just told me a dirty joke," Sakura replies instantly and Sasuke rolls his eyes.

"Okay," Itachi drags out. "Dinner?"

"Let's order," Sasuke says, already picking up his phone. "I'm too tired to cook for you two useless people."

Sakura thinks that is an unfair comment to make about two gifted individuals.

* * *


	8. Glasses and Crows

Sakura knocks on the door to 10A.

Sasuke opens it after a considerable amount of time, rubbing at his eyes blearily to stare at her blankly. Sakura is holding a small cake with one lit candle in the centre.

"What's this? It's the middle of the night," he complains.

"It's not for you," Sakura rolls her eyes. "And it's midnight."

Sasuke grumbles something under his breath but moves aside to let her in. Sakura points at Itachi's shut door. Sasuke sighs. They silently make their way across the living area, and Sasuke manages to open the door without making any sound.

Sakura has never been inside Itachi's bedroom before. The darkness doesn't allow her to see much of anything; the only source of light being the open window near his bed. The moonlight bathes the room in tones of silver. Itachi is sleeping on his bed belly-down and one knee pulled up to his chest level. His comforter is pooled on his hips and he isn't wearing a T-shirt. His long hair splays on the pillow and the bedsheet, some of the inky strands worming around his neck. Sakura has never seen him look so peaceful. Something clenches inside her chest.

Sasuke and Sakura stand on either side of Itachi's bed.

"Itachi," Sasuke prods his arm. "Itachi, wake up."

Itachi stirs and sighs. "Whatisit?"

"Itachi," Sakura calls loudly and Itachi jolts in surprise. He scrambles to sit up.

"Sakura? What the-?"

"Happy birthday!" she says cheerily and holds the cake with the single candle in his direction.

"Yeah, happy birthday," Sasuke adds in, still sleepy and slightly disoriented.

Itachi blinks blankly. "Oh. Thank you."

"We don't really do midnight stuff," Sasuke explains their less-than-enthusiastic behaviour.

"I don't care," Sakura says firmly. "I baked this cake for you and you are going to haul your ass up and blow this candle and eat the cake."

"I'm already sitting up," Itachi points out. Then he suddenly smiles. "Thank you."

"Come on, blow the candle," Sakura urges. "It's going to die out soon."

Itachi dutifully crawls a little in her direction. She starts to sing 'happy birthday' and Sasuke's tired voice joins in without complaint. Itachi blows on the candle and then there's darkness.

"We did not think this through," Sasuke mutters and the bedside lamp glows a second later. "There. Better."

"Here," Sakura pulls out the plastic knife that she'd stuck inside the front pocket of her pants. "Cut it."

Itachi takes it from her and carefully cuts a triangle. Sasuke joins him on the bed from the other side so that Itachi can feed the piece to him. Itachi feeds the next piece to Sakura.

"Not bad," Itachi comments when he eats it.

"It's my first attempt," Sakura says. "Don't judge it."

"I can see that," he replies. "But still – not bad."

Sakura has baked a chocolate cake. She came home by nine at night and spent the next two hours searching for a 'cake for beginners' recipe that wasn't too complicated but good enough for a baker's son and prepared it.

"Let's have a beer or something," Sasuke suggests.

They're all sitting on Itachi's bed, cross-legged, with the half-eaten cake in the centre. Sakura has taken the time to look around his bedroom by then. Since their apartments are mirror copies of each other, Itachi's bedroom is the same size with an attached bathroom and a closet. Unlike hers, though, it's neat and clean. Sakura realises that Itachi takes great care to make sure that there are no unnecessary pile-ups. It looks organized, much like Itachi's insistence on doing everything _the right way._

"Oh, no," Sakura refuses. "Actually, I have to go to the hospital."

"Now?" Itachi frowns. "Didn't you come home to sleep?"

"Er, no," she pauses. "I mean, I'm pulling an extra shift." She makes sure not to look at Sasuke.

Sakura realised that to have her Saturday evening off, and most of Sunday to rest, she'll have to reschedule a few of her shifts beforehand. It means that she wouldn't get two night's sleep. In fact, she wouldn't have come home if it weren't for her plan to bake a cake.

Before she leaves, she gives a hug to Itachi, and wishes him happy birthday once again. When she's going down the elevator, Sakura takes a deep breath to steady her thoughts. She'd never seen Itachi without a shirt before and it's been making her feel all sorts of things ever since. Things that she shouldn't entertain.

To be fair, it's not as if she hasn't noticed him before tonight/midnight at all. There have been many moments during their interactions when she'd suddenly think that he has nice eyes, or that he looks better in a bun than a ponytail, or the sharp angle of his jaw, or how pretty he is when he's smiling goofily. There have been many times when she'd wonder how someone so smart can be so clueless about things such as his own handsomeness. Sakura knows for a fact that Itachi finds his mind more valuable than his appearance, but it doesn't change the fact that he is someone who can be considered a good looking man. Not in the conventional way, though. Not in an obvious way, like Naruto or Hinata, but more subtle. Sakura thinks that Itachi is the type of person who begins to look more attractive the better you know him personally. Or perhaps that's the case with everyone.

Even so, she shouldn't begin to harbour a crush on her neighbour. Itachi is undoubtedly her friend, a close friend because she believes that Itachi will not entertain her if she is nothing but honest with him, so she's done exactly that, and he's returned the favour. You just don't talk about lost patients, or childhood, your fears, your insecurities, your struggles without building a close bond with that person.

Also, it's not as if Sasuke isn't her close friend, either. The relation she shares with Sasuke is different from what she shares with Itachi, though. Sakura knows that Sasuke will not hesitate to sit with her and listen to her worries, but she also knows that Sasuke might not fully understand them. Sakura shares a certain kinship with Itachi that she hasn't shared with anyone else before. He's the first person that she's befriended who is as honest as she is, accepts her the way she is despite calling her out on many things, and is simply unapologetically himself in a way that she finds more alluring than annoying.

Sakura also feels affection towards both her neighbours. Keeping aside how Itachi has managed to attract her in more ways than one, Sakura has found herself wanting to be loyal towards them. To truly be their friend and spend time together, even if it's only an evening where they're glued to their respective phones rather than speaking with each other. There's comfort and familiarity in their routine and Sakura values it more than she can possibly say.

* * *

Sakura spends the Friday night at the hospital. When she gets a break, she sits in the resident's lounge and checks her phone, cradling a juice box in her other hand.

Sasuke has sent her a video. A bunch of people who look like Itachi's team enter through a glass door through which Itachi can be seen working at the desk. He looks up at the commotion. A woman is holding a cake in her hands and she keeps disappearing from view as Sasuke struggles to move around. As soon as Itachi gets to his feet, though, a man suddenly grabs the cake from the woman's hands and smashes it right in Itachi's surprised face.

There's raucous laughter as Itachi attempts to wipe the frosting off but all it does is spread even more. Sasuke moves the camera to his own grinning face and holds up a V sign, before the screen turns black.

When Ino enters the lounge, she finds Sakura laughing with a puddle of juice by her feet.

"What happened?"

Sakura shakes her head. "Nothing. What are you doing here? I thought you were going home."

Ino sighs and takes a seat beside her on the couch. "One of my kids threw a clot. Just got done with the surgery."

Ino is doing her residency in paediatric surgery. Sakura has seen her speaking with distressed parents many times, and is always amazed by how she handles the situation. Ino had told her that paediatric surgery is as much about the actual medicine as it is about interacting with parents. She said that when you're dealing with a kid, your primary patient is still the parent.

"Is the kid fine?"

"Hanging in."

"Sorry," Sakura offers.

Ino exhales through her mouth. "It's alright. He's a good kid. A fighter."

"Maybe you need to see this," Sakura suggests and opens up the video Sasuke sent her.

Ino is giggling uncontrollably by the time it gets over. "This is so precious."

"Right?"

"What are you doing here if it's your neighbour's birthday?"

So Sakura explains her plan of taking extra shifts to have her next evening and consequent morning off, so that she can attend Itachi's surprise party.

"Sasuke is such a sweetie," Ino coos. "I can't believe he's still single."

Sakura tries not to think about Uncle Obito's pointed looks whenever Sasuke would mention Naruto. Naruto has dated women in the past. Sasuke's romantic life is still a mystery. Sakura vows to weed out some details during the party. She can't believe she's never asked him that before. With Sasuke spending so much of his free time with Naruto though, Sakura would be surprised if he ever got a date squeezed in between work and his best friend.

"Neither can I," Sakura admits.

Sasuke is one of the nicest people she knows. He's kind, takes care of the people around him, always has an ear to lend, and doesn't bother with pretences. He's inherently a good person. Sakura can see that Sasuke has a lot of love to share, and he does so without holding back. He's Naruto's partner-in-crime, the one person that Naruto actually listens to, and it's easy to see that they share mutual respect for each other despite having differing personalities and priorities in life.

Sasuke will definitely make anyone lucky.

"Actually," Sakura suddenly says with newfound inspiration. "You could come tomorrow to the party. I'm sure Sasuke won't mind."

Ino seems dubious. "Are you sure? It's a birthday party, Sakura."

"Hang on, I'll let him know so you know that it's fine."

 _Hey, is it cool if I bring a friend tomorrow?_ she types and sends the text.

Sasuke replies instantly. **Yeah! Of course.**

Sakura shows the text to Ino. "See? Besides, you've wanted to meet with them for a long time. This seems like the perfect way."

"I _am_ free tomorrow," Ino says thoughtfully.

"Great!" Sakura encourages. "You can finally speak with Sasuke."

Ino's eyes glint with mischief. "Are you trying to set me up with him?"

Sakura, in fact, is. The best way to know where Sasuke stands in his dating life would be to give him an opportunity to reveal it. Sakura can always just ask him but this is more fun. Recently, Ino has begun to try and actually date people rather than have flings. Ever since the shooting, Sakura has seen the blonde woman change in front of her eyes. Ino is more open towards possibilities of _more_ , and she'd even confessed that she did have a plan in her life once upon a time of getting married and having kids one day.

Who else will be better suited for her than Sasuke, the motherly man who loves to make people happy?

"Maybe," Sakura concedes.

Ino smiles and frowns at the same time. "All this time, I kept insisting that _you_ go out with him, and you're now setting _me_ up with him?"

Sakura tries for a nonchalant shrug. "Like you said, he's a decent person. And since I'm not looking to date, and you _are_ , it makes more sense for you to ask him out."

Ino lets it go for now. She does shoot her a suspicious look every now and then throughout their short break, though.

* * *

Sakura leaves the hospital on Saturday by seven thirty in the evening. She is severely late, she knows that, and she's already sent an apology text to Sasuke earlier. Apparently, a couple of Itachi's team members kept him occupied with impromptu work (since Saturdays are off and only Itachi works on those days alone at the office) so that Sasuke, Hinata, Naruto, Temari, and Shikamaru could set up the place for the surprise party. By this time, she's sure that Itachi must have arrived at his apartment.

The elevator doors open to the 10th floor, and Sakura finds a few people leaning by the open door of 10A. They're holding a glass of drink and look up when she steps out. Sakura has no idea who they are. She hears more chatter and music coming from inside the flat, and with a quick _excuse me_ she pokes her head in.

The place is more filled than she'd expected. _This is Itachi's team?_ She had been thinking more on terms of maybe twenty people, not more than that.

Clearly, she has absolutely no idea how businesses work.

Sakura spots Sasuke by the couch. She waves her arms to grab his attention but he's engrossed in the conversation that he's having with a woman with blue streaked hair. She's the same woman who was holding the cake in the video.

Sighing, she leaves before she can accidentally spot Itachi instead.

Ino will be here soon, she thinks, as she closes the door to her own apartment behind her. Sakura needs a shower and a change of clothes. Since the party seems to be in full swing, she decides to dig out her 'nice' clothes from the depths of her wardrobe for the evening. She places the gift she bought for Itachi on the bed before entering her bathroom.

She hadn't planned on buying him a gift, actually. She happened to have seen Dr. Orochimaru's watch, and thought to herself _that looks like a CEO's watch._ She got the model number from her boss and had it delivered at the hospital reception.

She is scrutinising herself in the mirror when there are loud knocks on her apartment door. Sakura peeks through the peephole. Ino steps inside the door, the music and chatter drifts across the hall, and muffles when Sakura shuts the door again.

Ino is wearing a knee-length, figure-hugging black dress that highlights her blonde hair and blue eyes. She's put on light make-up, high heels, and a barrette in her hair. Sakura keeps forgetting that Ino is capable of pulling off a good appearance when she wants to. Sakura is so used to seeing her in hospital scrubs, sports shoes, and a bun that it feels strange whenever Ino dresses up for any occasion.

Over the years that Sakura has been friends with her, they've gone out only on important dates such as birthdays. Of course, they've gone out for drinks after work, especially if one of them has had a gruelling surgery that day, but it has been always casual and not a classy affair.

Which is why Sakura feels faintly self-conscious when she does dress up for Itachi's birthday. It's not that she doesn't look nice in the dress; it's just that she's seen herself in scrubs more than anything else in a long while now, so it feels a little strange to be wearing it.

Sakura has chosen a white short dress with rose gold trimming. It has lace cap sleeves and a fitted waistline. She paired it up with the light golden heels that she found in the back of the closet – she'd completely forgotten about buying those – and left her hair open. When she was using her hair-dryer, to straighten them out, Sakura realised that she hasn't cut it in a long time (since she always ties it up in a bun or a ponytail) and that it now reaches her waist. Like Ino, she has put on light make-up: a light pink on the lips and black eyeliner.

All in all, she likes it. It still doesn't change the fact that she feels strange all dolled up.

"That's a big party," Ino says and jabs her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of 10A. "You didn't tell me it'd be a big party."

Sakura sighs. "I didn't know. Sasuke only said it's Itachi's team from work."

"Well, that's one big team, Haruno."

She winces. "I know."

"You do realise that you haven't slept in … 30 hours now? And that's a big party."

Ino had left the hospital by two in the morning, slept for five hours, and returned to check-up on her patients, only to leave by five again. She seems more than ready to tackle the crowd.

"It'll be fine," Sakura says bracingly. She's not going to miss this. Sasuke has spent considerable effort in throwing this, and it's Itachi's birthday party, and she cannot miss it.

She reminds herself that this has been the whole point of pulling extra shifts in the first place.

With another mental pep talk and a quick look in the mirror, Sakura takes Ino to 10A. The earlier group of people is still chatting away at the door. Sakura squeezes between them into the apartment, and searches for _anyone_ that she knows.

Sasuke is not on the couch anymore. The woman with blue streaked hair is now chatting with a redheaded man. Sakura sees a small pile of gifts on the kitchen counter and grabs Ino's hand to lead her in that direction. She adds her own gift to it.

"Sakura!"

Naruto is beaming at her and quickly excusing himself from two guys to greet her. He's nursing a bottle of beer in his hand. He's actually looking quite handsome in a white button down shirt under a long-sleeved blue sweater, paired up with dark denim pants and white shoes.

"Hi! You look so great, Sakura!"

"Thanks, so do you," Sakura smiles. "This is my friend, Ino." Ino waves at him.

Naruto throws her a big charming grin. Ino blinks. "Sasuke mentioned you'd be bringing a friend. We totally assumed that you're brining a date, though!"

"She could be my date," Sakura says just for the heck of it.

Naruto throws his head back and laughs. "As if! Sasuke said you're straight like an arrow. No offence, Ino, you are a pretty lady, just not Sakura's type of a partner."

"None taken," Ino grins.

"Speaking of," Sakura cuts in. "Where is Sasuke? And Itachi? I don't even see Hinata or Shika or Temari."

"Geez, relax," Naruto chuckles. He starts counting off his fingers. "Hinata and Temari stepped out because they wanted some particular brand of wine and Sasuke didn't have it. They'll be back soon. I assume Shika is hiding somewhere so that people don't approach him. Last I saw Sas, he was speaking with Yahiko from work. And Itachi is in his room. He has an important call that he couldn't miss. Can you believe this guy? He's working during his own birthday party."

Ino blinks again at Naruto's enthusiasm. Sakura thinks that giggling at her stumped face wouldn't be the best thing to do.

"Okay, I'm going to look for Sasuke," Sakura tells him. "I want to introduce him to Ino."

Naruto's easy smile starts to fade slightly, before he hitches it back in place. "Oh, that's great!"

Sakura's eyebrows raise. Is that all he has to say?

"I need to get back to … Hidan," he says, still sporting the fake smile. "Good luck, Ino! Sasuke is a great guy. I'm sure he'll like to be introduced to you!"

"Thanks," Ino smiles through her puzzled expression. "It's nice meeting you, too."

Naruto disappears in the crowd.

"Is it just me or was that a little odd?" Ino asks Sakura.

"No, that was definitely odd." Sakura is staring at the spot where Naruto disappeared through, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

Sakura finally spots Sasuke by his bedroom door with two people. She pulls Ino behind her.

"Hey!" Sakura gives him a quick hug. Even Sasuke is looking pretty, donned in a dark green button down shirt and black slacks. "Great party."

He grins. "Thanks. Where's your date?"

Sakura fights not to roll her eyes. "I said I'll bring a friend," she reminds him. "This is Ino."

Ino steps forward and shakes his hand. "Hi, thank you so much for having me. This is a great party."

Sasuke dips his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you. You're her friend from the hospital, right? Sakura said you're the kids' doctor."

"Paediatric surgery," Ino corrects him, shooting a quick glare in Sakura's direction.

"Right. Sorry. Here, this is Deidara and Tobi from work. Guys, this is Sakura and her friend Ino."

"The neighbour slash surgeon," Deidara comments and sticks his hand out.

Sakura shakes it. "That's me. Nice meeting you."

"Sasuke and Naruto have a bet going on," Deidara continues. "They want to see whom you will first perform a surgery on."

Sakura purses her lips. "Hopefully, neither."

Deidara laughs. "I won't bet on _that_."

"I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon," she frowns.

When Deidara raises his eyebrows, Sasuke explains, "She's a chest and throat surgeon."

"Well, then I bet on Naruto needing you first. Any day, now, Sakura, Sasuke is going to punch him in the throat."

That makes her laugh.

"Would you like something to drink?" Sasuke asks the girls. "I bought a lot of stuff."

"Naruto said Hinata and Temari went out because you don't have stuff."

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Ino," he turns to her, "would _you_ like a drink? Sakura can help herself."

Ino chuckles. "Sure."

Sasuke leads her the way they'd just come from, to the kitchen area, and Sakura smirks.

"You little vixen," Deidara says with a slow grin. "You're trying to set them up, aren't you?"

Sakura shrugs innocently.

"It's not going to work, though," Tobi announces.

"Why not?"

He gives her an incredulous look. "Have you not _seen_ Sasuke with Naruto, _ever_?"

Again with that. "They're best friends, I know that."

Tobi rolls his eyes condescendingly. "Girl, they're best friends _in denial_. Neither of them wants to acknowledge it because they think the other doesn't feel it."

"Feel it?"

"Yes. You know, feel whatever."

"Are you understanding this?" Sakura asks Deidara.

The blonde man smiles sympathetically. "Everyone knows," he admits. "It's kind of painful to watch them tip-toeing around each other even during work."

"Sasuke and Naruto never _tip-toe_ around each other," Sakura says, finding the idea ludicrous.

Tobi sighs impatiently. "I swear, with a thick-headed neighbour such as you, and Boss being … well, _Boss_ , no wonder everyone seems to be surprised."

"Sakura, here's the thing," Deidara moves a little into her space to hold a more private conversation. "Naruto has never dated guys before. And the bare minimum girls that Sasuke has dated have been so casual that I'm surprised Sasuke even bothered with it. It felt like he only did it because he thought he should be doing it."

"You're telling me that they both have feelings for each other but they've never dated any guy before, and hence do not understand what to do with the situation?"

"Precisely," Deidara nods. "Sasuke dislikes every time Naruto brings up his sex life, or date life, or exes. Naruto, on the other hand, never has to deal with jealousy because Sasuke is _Sasuke_ and has never had a decent dating life in the first place."

Sakura thinks back to Naruto's reaction. "That explains why Naruto suddenly looked … _off_ when I told him that I'm introducing Ino to Sasuke."

To her surprise, they both laugh. "This should be fun," Tobi cackles.

"No!" Sakura says, horrified. If what they are saying is true, then she's just stupidly hurt Naruto, while Sasuke remains oblivious. Not to mention, Ino is genuinely looking forward to the set-up. "No, no, no. This is _not_ good."

Deidara is shaking his head, still chuckling. "This is best thing that could have happened! Think about it, if Naruto finally gets jealous, their story won't be so static anymore."

"There are better ways to do this," Sakura grumbles.

"It's already done," Deidara tells her. "Now we just have to wait and watch what happens. You better accept it."

"Shit. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

Without thinking, Sakura hurries towards Itachi's bedroom door, opens it, and enters. Itachi looks up, surprised at the intrusion. He's sitting on his bed, with his phone to his ear.

He raises his eyebrows at her even as he speaks. "…assure you that the deal will be mutually beneficial. I hold your organization on high regards. I came across the recent article in _Business Times_ , wherein you speak about your latest…"

Sakura tunes him out. She takes a seat beside him on the bed, and takes out her phone from the small purse that she's carrying to pass the time.

The music isn't loud inside the bedroom. She finds comfort in the familiarity of Itachi's smooth voice, and the fact that he hasn't told her to leave yet. He's wearing a midnight blue shirt tucked in marble grey trousers, and there's the matching suit jacket on the bed. His hair is tied in a bun, today in the back and not on top, of his head. Sakura side-glances at him, and notices a tiny crow earring dangling from his ear. He's also wearing black-rimmed glasses.

Sakura never realised that he's been wearing clear lenses this whole time.

It makes him look like a hot geek, she decides. And the earring is definitely another plus point. If this is how Itachi brushes up for occasions, she's already looking forward to their date, friendly as it is.

She feels slightly guilty for leaving Ino outside, but she's confident that Sasuke will stick with her, or at least introduce her to more of his friends to make her feel more welcome. Thinking about this makes her feel guiltier, because Sasuke is so nice, and she completely missed the fact that the man likes his best friend.

Sakura sends a text to Uncle Obito. _You were right about Sasuke and Naruto. I just heard from their co-workers that they're both in denial. Kind of._

His reply comes two minutes later, when Sakura is playing _Candy Crush_. **Let them figure it out.**

_All in good time, huh?_

**You know it.**

Kakashi sends her a text not a minute later. **Stick them in a closed room for two days.**

Sakura muffles her giggles behind her hand, and immediately feels Itachi's questioning eyes on her. She waves her phone at him and mouths _Later._

_I'm not going to do that, Dad!_

**Trust me, that's the best solution.**

_I introduced Sasuke to Ino just now. I didn't know any better at that time._

**That's even better. Jealousy is the key to rise sexual tension.**

She accidentally snorts out loud. Itachi frowns at her disapprovingly. She mouths _Sorry_ and smiles sweetly just to piss him off. He rolls his eyes. His voice doesn't break once.

_Yeah yeah. Their co-workers said the same thing._

Uncle Obito sends her a text then: **I agree with him on this one.**

 _You guys need a life._ Sakura sends it to both of them.

She pockets her phone as soon as Itachi's phone call is done.

"Surprise!" she gives him a toothed grin with hands raised in the air.

Itachi smirks. "You're late."

"Shut up. Listen, we need to talk."

Itachi's smirk fades away. He shifts on the bed slightly to face her and Sakura does the same. "Is something wrong?"

She sighs. "I did something stupid," she says. "I brought my friend –"

"Right," Itachi interrupts with a scowl. "Your date."

" _No,_ " Sakura stresses. " _Not_ a date. An actual friend. You remember I told you about Ino?"

"The paediatric surgeron, yes," he says with a clearer expression.

"I got her here to try and maybe set her up with Sasuke," she admits. "But _then_ , Deidara and Tobi told me that Sasuke and Naruto actually like each other. Now I feel terrible because I messed it up. Naruto isn't going to like this, Sasuke doesn't know what he got himself into when he offered Ino a drink out of politeness and because he's, you know, Sasuke. And Ino thinks she's getting along with Sasuke from a romantic standpoint."

Itachi stares at her. His glasses are still a surprise to her, because she's used to having direct access to his eyes. And then she questions whether that's a strange thought to have.

"I have many questions," he finally breaks the silence.

"Shoot."

"When did all this happen?"

Sakura rolls her eyes. "When I came here, genius. I've already met Naruto, Sasuke, Deidara, and Tobi."

"Shouldn't you have come to me first?" he frowns.

"I tried to look for you," she grumbles. "You weren't there. Naruto told me you were attending an important phone call, so I didn't bother."

"Yet here you are."

"Because I messed up!" Sakura snaps.

For some reason, Itachi smiles. "You came to me because you messed up?"

" _Yes_ ," Sakura sighs heavily. "What do I do? No, what are _we_ going to do?"

"We?"

"Sasuke is your brother," she says coolly. "You're not going to stand by as you watch him struggle with this situation, are you?"

Itachi laughs. "This is your mess, Sakura. But nice try."

"Come on," Sakura groans. "We have to fix this!"

"No," he corrects her. " _You_ have to fix this. Let's move on to my next question. Why did you think setting up your friend with my brother was a good idea?"

"Ino commented about how it's a surprise that he's still single, and I agreed with her. And then I thought, hey this girl already likes Sasuke as a person and Sasuke probably doesn't get time to go on a date because he's always so busy with either Naruto or work so wouldn't it be a _blast_ if I help out?"

"Although, now you've come to learn that my brother likes his best friend? And you said Deidara and Tobi told you this?"

"Yeah," Sakura traces the comforter under her lightly as she fills him on her earlier conversation with the two men. She even tells him Naruto's odd reaction. Then she remembers Kakashi and Uncle Obito and shows him their texts.

"Okay," he slowly processes it all and hands her phone back. "Okay." Then he chuckles. "This explains a lot."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Itachi smiles cryptically. "I have to say, though, that I agree with Kakashi."

Sakura stares back, gobsmacked. "You want to shut them in a room for two days?"

He laughs. "God, _no_. What he said about jealousy. Let this play out. You might have inadvertently helped."

"You really think so? What about Ino, then? Wouldn't she be wronged?"

"Well, yeah," Itachi admits. "But it's not like Sasuke is actually going to go out with her, right? Whatever happens, it'll happen tonight. Let Ino have the company that she came for. No one gets hurt. Except maybe Naruto. But if this is all true, then he might be needed to get a little hurt."

"Necessary evil."

"Exactly. Although, I wouldn't call this _evil._ This is just drama. I feel like I'm back in high school."

Sakura gasps and slaps his arm. "This is your _brother_."

He rolls his eyes. "My brother is an adult. He can take care of himself."

"Please," Sakura calls his bullshit. "Naruto told me how much you enjoy spoiling him."

"Obviously, I enjoy that. He's my baby brother."

Sakura laughs and Itachi frowns back, not understanding what just happened.

"Let's go," she says and stands up. "Did you guys cut the cake yet?"

Itachi suddenly shudders and Sakura remembers the cake facemask he'd gotten the day before during work. She bites her lip to contain her laugh.

"I hope there's no cake," he wishes, shrugging on his suit jacket.

There's a moment where they're facing each other, studying the each other's appearance.

"You look nice," Itachi says softly.

She smiles. "So do you."

A strange kind of silence falls between them that Sakura isn't sure that she wants to break, doesn't know how to break. Wearing heels, she feels taller, but Itachi still slightly towers above her.

"How was your day?" he asks, doesn't move. Stands right there, facing her, even though they were about to re-join his birthday party.

"Good. Saved a life." He offers a pretty smile. "How was your day?"

"Got kidnapped by my team. But we did come up with new great strategies despite their fake enthusiasm on a Saturday, so that was a plus."

She chuckles.

"I like the hair," he says gently, holding her eyes steadily, like he always does.

"Thanks. I like your glasses. I didn't know you had them. You look cute, though. And the earring."

His smile widens. "I used to wear them during school and college. Then Sasuke convinced me to buy lenses."

"Pity," she comments. "Speaking of," she shrugs, "he's thrown a party that you should be at."

He snorts. Sakura turns to the door and feels him following behind her. As soon as she pulls the door open, the music and the chatter envelope her and she pauses for a second to regain her senses. Itachi nudges her from the back to get her to move again.

The moment Itachi becomes visible to everyone, they all cheer, " _Boss!_ " with their drinks held in a toast. He gets pulled in the crowd, and Sakura – thankfully – spots Hinata and Temari near Sasuke's working desk that has been moved to one side to create more space for people to mingle.

"You guys got your alcohol?" she greets as she joins them.

They both hold their glasses up. To Sakura, it looks like any other wine. Hinata is wearing a pale blue dress that makes her look even more ethereal than usual, while Temari is wearing a long black dress with thigh-high slits on both sides.

"Where's your fiancé?" she asks Temari.

She snorts. "Hiding in Sasuke's room."

"Why were you in Itachi's bedroom?" Hinata asks with interest.

"Oh, I just wanted to speak with him about something," Sakura dismisses. "Have you met my friend yet?"

"The one who is not a date?" Temari smirks.

"Okay, seriously," Sakura says with irritation. "Why the hell would Sasuke assume that in the first place and then _share with everyone_? I had Naruto and Itachi saying the same thing earlier!"

"Can you blame him?" Temari says with one blonde eyebrow raised.

"Yes," Sakura frowns, hands coming up to cross over her chest. "I can absolutely blame him."

Temari rolls her eyes. Hinata takes over. "Sakura, all your text said was _can I bring a friend_. That's what a person usually says when they bring a date with them."

"What do you say when you really do have a friend with you?"

"You don't," Temari answers. "You don't ask, you just bring them with you."

"But Ino wasn't confident when I told her. So I texted Sasuke to reassure her."

"Then you mention a name, you idiot," Temari snorts.

Sakura sighs in frustration. "This is just stupid. Fine. I didn't mention a name. Even so, there was no need to assume so easily that I'd bring a date when I have given no such inclination before about even _having_ a date."

"That's why everyone was surprised," Hinata informs her. "When Itachi arrived and saw the party, he asked Sasuke where you were. So Sasuke said that you're running late and bringing a date with you. That's how we know, by the way. Itachi first said the same thing, that he'd never heard you mention a date before this. So Sasuke suggested that you might be reserved about these things. I have to say, Itachi was not happy with that answer."

"Right," Sakura says awkwardly. "Well, I brought Ino."

"Yeah, Sasuke introduced us. What's up with that?" Temari frowns. "I thought Sasuke and Naruto had their little dance going on."

Sakura winces. "Yeah, I didn't know that when I brought her here to set her up with Sasuke."

There's a brief pause, and then Temari lets out a huge laugh and Hinata starts giggling.

"You have got to be kidding me. You're really something, Sakura," Temari chuckles.

"Oh, I see them!" Hinata suddenly points.

Sakura watches as Ino stands with Sasuke and Naruto, looking puzzled but smiling politely. Naruto's body is stiff as a board, and Sasuke is looking utterly displeased with a strained smile on his lips.

Sakura's attention is caught by Itachi, standing near the three, wearing an amused expression. He's studying his brother from the distance, surrounded by a group of people. He notices Sakura's gaze on him and gives her a smirk.

Suddenly, Naruto turns to walk straight towards the girls. His shoulders are tense and he's never looked so serious to Sakura before.

"What's wrong?" Temari asks with mock innocence as soon as he reaches them. "You don't look so good."

"It's nothing," he says curtly. "Give me that." He takes the glass from between her fingers and downs the content in one gulp. "More."

Hinata brings out the bottle that she'd kept behind her on the desk, and dutifully pours a generous amount in the glass. Naruto gulps that down in three seconds flat.

"Okay, that's better," he smiles dopily. "Great party, right? Sasuke sure knows his stuff, huh?"

The girls share a meaningful glance between themselves.

Then Temari takes the plunge. "Yeah, he really does. And Ino suits him, don't you think? They look like a cute couple."

Naruto's eyes harden. He cranes his neck to watch Sasuke on the other side of the room, still speaking with Ino, now with animated gestures.

"Yeah," he nearly snarls. "They sure do. I guess that's what Sasuke wants, huh? A nice girl that he can date and marry and have kids with. Someone as pretty as Ino. Blonde, tall, and blue-eyed." There's a short pause and then Naruto snorts reproachfully. "If he wanted blonde, tall, and blue-eyed, he should have just said so."

"Yeah," Temari nods. "I mean, you're his best friend. Who else will he tell that to other than you?"

"Exactly," Naruto snaps his fingers. "It should have been me, you know?"

Sakura's heart clenches painfully. Naruto sounds defeated and heartbroken.

"It can still be you," Temari says coolly, holding Naruto's drunken gaze steady. "If you really want it."

"Of course, I want Sasuke!" Naruto snaps at her. "Who else will I want?"

It takes a second for Naruto to realise what he's just said. His entire demeanour changes in an instant. He looks more terrified than anything else, shocked and confused and angry at himself.

"Don't tell him I said that," he croaks. "Please."

Naruto sounds lost. Without thinking, Sakura gives him a hug. She doesn't have any words to say to him and Kakashi told her that when that happens, Sakura should give a hug. It's worked in her favour until now.

Naruto's hands wrap around her and he holds her tightly. Temari doesn't push him further and Hinata offers him a consoling smile.

* * *

Sakura is about to open Sasuke's bedroom door to try and lure Shikamaru out of his cave when she hears someone calling out her name excitedly.

"Sakura? Sakura!"

She comes face to face with a boyish face, a cute smile, and cropped red hair.

"Sasori?" she says blankly.

His smile widens. He eats up the distance between them in two large steps and envelopes her in a hug. "It _is_ you!"

He pulls back. "What are you doing here?"

She snickers. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Sasori is her friend from Suna, when she'd been attending her bachelor's and pre-med at the Suna University. He was a Business major, and he'd found her one day on the grounds chasing butterflies. Sakura had felt embarrassed for being caught for about two minutes before he assured her that he does the same.

"I'm attending my Boss' birthday party," he raises his eyebrows in a 'duh' manner.

"You work with Itachi? I didn't even know you were in the city!"

"But _you_ don't work with Itachi," he says. "So yes, going back to my earlier inquiry: what are you doing here?"

She rolls her eyes. "I'm his neighbour."

Sasori's brown eyes twinkle with amusement. "When Sasuke told me about someone called Sakura The Surgeon, I honestly did not think it was you."

"When did you come to the city?" she asks, ignoring his comment.

Sasori shrugs. "A couple of years, I guess? I was working in this dead-end job in Suna after graduation, and saw the ad posting for a start-up located in this city. And I thought _well, what the hell_ , right?"

" _Right_."

"You look good," he compliments. "Still the Pinkette, though, huh? You really became a surgeon?"

She stares. "Yes. I told you that I was studying to become one."

He shrugs nonchalantly. "You were a kid, what did you know? I had to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"I was not that young," she reminds him.

"You'd just turned eighteen," he reminds her in return. "And you were in your third year of college. So yeah, what the hell did you know?"

"Whatever. I did become a surgeon, though."

He grins. "I heard. Come on, let me introduce you to some of the others."

Sasori drags her around the room as if they're on a quest. Sakura is not all that surprised. This is exactly how he'd been with her in college, pretending to be on one or the other quest. Sakura has been his "quest-mate" when he told her they'd be in search of desert snakes, the Sand Monster, water lilies, and whatever he was in the mood for at that time.

Sakura ends up meeting Konan – the woman with blue streaked hair, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Nagato. She bumps into Deidara and Tobi once again. Itachi keeps flitting around the room so she doesn't get a chance to speak with him.

* * *

Ino catches her when Sakura is pouring a drink for herself. It's the fourth drink of her evening.

"I need to speak with you," she says seriously.

"What's up?"

"I think Sasuke is sad," Ino frowns. "I think Naruto and he had a fight or something because I just spent half an hour listening to him vent about all things wrong with Naruto."

Sakura pauses and studies her friend. "He did?"

"Yeah. What's going on? I don't want to accidentally make things worse, you know?"

"No, no," Sakura assures her quickly. "Don't worry about it. It's their usual dynamics. They bicker a lot and at times someone goes a little far. They'll cool down."

"Alright," Ino lets out a relieved sigh. "They were just really tense around each other. Anyway, I suppose I'll let it go."

Sakura forces a smile on her face.

"On the other hand," Ino continues. "I don't think things will go anywhere with Sasuke and me. I appreciate you trying to set us up, though. He's a great guy. I'm glad I got to meet him."

"Oh. Why do you think it won't go anywhere, in that case?" she asks as casually as possible.

Ino shrugs. "I didn't really feel any connection, you know?"

Sakura nods. "Alright."

Itachi materialises beside her and borrows her beer to take a sip from, before handing it back. "I heard you know Sasori."

"Yeah. Friend from college time."

Itachi nods. "He said some really nice things about you."

Sakura smirks. "I can imagine. I was the only friend he had who didn't mind he liked pretend-games despite being twenty-two at that time."

Itachi chuckles. "Yeah. He's been trying to get me to accept his _Fun Friday_ proposal. After-work games night."

"Hey, this is my friend Ino," Sakura introduces. "This is Itachi."

Ino offers her hand to shake. "Hi! Happy birthday. Thanks for having me tonight."

Itachi smiles. "Of course. Any friend of Sakura's is welcome here. Speaking of, I gather it didn't work out between you and my brother?"

Sakura almost rolls her eyes. Sasuke must have had a similar conversation with Itachi that Ino had just now with Sakura. Sakura has no doubt that Sasuke must have been surprised with Itachi's line of questioning, after what she's learned tonight.

Ino shakes her head, smiling awkwardly. "Not really, no."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He doesn't sound sorry at all. He sounds amused.

"Shouldn't you be dancing or something?" Sakura cuts in.

Itachi raises his eyebrows. "Are you hinting, Sakura?"

"Yeah, you wish."

"Maybe I should add dancing to our date list," he comments thoughtfully.

Ino chokes on her beer. Sakura immediately thumps on her back. "Sorry," Ino gasps, eyes watering. "Went down the wrong pipe."

"Hey, Boss," a man with orange hair intervenes.

"Hey, meet Sakura here, and her friend Ino. This is Yahiko."

"Hi," Sakura shakes his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you. Itachi told me you really hold down the line for him."

Yahiko grins and a dimple pops out on his right cheek. "Learned from him, actually. We were both working in Kizoshan together when he told me his plan to start a company one day. And things kinda snowballed. A few other friends of ours left Kizoshan when he did."

Sakura didn't know that. In fact, Sakura has begun to realise that she doesn't know Itachi all that well. During this entire party, she's seen people call him _Boss_ and it's easy to decipher that it's not because Itachi is their CEO, but because they genuinely enjoy following this man. And from what Yahiko just revealed, it's clear than ever before the faith these people have in Itachi. To leave a company such as Kizoshan, that provides a steady income and certain level of status, and follow a young man wanting to build a new company from scratch, is not something that can be or should be taken lightly.

"You guys were miserable there," Itachi reminds Yahiko. "You would have left the place sooner or later."

Yahiko just shakes his head. Sakura gets it. Itachi might be cocky, but he believes himself to be a long way from where he wants to be when it comes to his professional life.

"Why so modest, Uchiha?" Sakura smirks.

Itachi scoffs. "I'm merely stating a fact." The way he says _fact_ is enough of a testament to his arrogance. Sakura feels better after hearing that.

"If I may," Yahiko says and faces Sakura. "I came over to speak with you."

"Oh," Sakura blinks. She glances at Itachi who looks just as confused as she does. "Sure."

"This is slightly embarrassing to be doing in front of Boss," Yahiko chuckles uncomfortably.

"Spit it out, Yahiko," Itachi frowns.

"Right." He clears his throat. "Would you be interested in getting a bite to eat some day?"

"Oh."

Sakura blanks out. She's acutely aware of Ino and Itachi watching her closely. Yahiko isn't bad to look at, to be fair. He seems charming enough, and his modesty and honesty are attractive qualities, she supposes. Although …

"I … I'm not really looking to date currently," she says, hoping she sounds steady and apologetic. "I have a lot going on already. At work. It's just not the right time."

Yahiko offers a smile and raises his hands in defence. "That's alright. I just had to ask. I've heard a lot about you, and you're really pretty."

"Thank you," Sakura smiles, feeling warmth bloom in her chest.

Yahiko excuses himself. Ino is giving her odd looks and Itachi is frowning.

"I didn't expect that," Itachi muses. "I always thought he had his eyes on Konan."

"Besides," Ino says slowly, staring between the two of them, "I'm assuming that both of you are going on a date? Itachi said so earlier."

"That's just because I lost a bet," Sakura corrects her.

"The loser has to take the winner on a date of their choice," Itachi adds in.

"Right."

Sasuke comes looking for Itachi then. "Hey, when do you wanna wrap this up?"

"Isn't it up to you?"

"Well, I guess," Sasuke concedes. "But they're here for you."

"What time is it?"

Sasuke checks his watch. "Almost 11."

"Soon," Itachi orders. "I don't want them passing out here."

"That's rude," Sakura comments.

"Are you going to clean up their puke?" Itachi challenges.

Sakura's lip curls in disgust at the thought. "Yeah, Sasuke, soon," she insists instead.

"Someone just arrived," Ino points out. She's watching the door.

The other three turn in that direction and Sakura sees Itachi and Sasuke tense in her peripheral vision. It's a woman with cropped platinum blonde hair, wearing a short dress with a scooping neck. She's tall, busty, and haughty.

Sakura surmises that it must be Itachi's ex, Samui, the one Sasuke was worried would gate-crash the party. To be honest, Sakura has been wondering this whole time if she'd go through with her plan.

"Sasuke?" Itachi asks tensely.

"I didn't call her, obviously," Sasuke snaps back. "Let me go handle this."

"No," Itachi's voice stops Sasuke instantly. "You're not getting involved. You stay out of this, you hear me? I don't want her anywhere near you."

Sasuke swallows and nods meekly.

"Stay with Naruto," Itachi continues in the same powerful manner. "You guys can keep each other in check." Sasuke purses his lips but dutifully leaves to go look for the blonde. "And Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

Itachi holds her gaze steady. "Stay."

She grins. "Wouldn't miss this for the world," she assures him.

Satisfied, Itachi stalks straight up to his ex, just as Shikamaru, Hinata, and Temari join her and Ino. After a few moments, Naruto and Sasuke come as well.

The group watches as Samui throws her arms around Itachi's neck with a delighted face. They're too far from them to hear the actual conversation, though. Besides, the music isn't helping with the acoustics.

Ino leans in to whisper in Sakura's ear. "I've seen more drama tonight than on an episode of Grey's Anatomy."

Sakura snorts. "I swear it's not so exciting usually," she whispers back. "We mostly just sit and eat."

"Then it's my special day."

Itachi doesn't lose his composure, although he does seem to be getting a little impatient. Samui keeps trying to touch him, moving into his personal space, and smiling coyly. At one point, Itachi takes a step back to put safe distance between them, and all it does is spur her further.

"Wow, she really doesn't give up," Sakura snickers.

"Nope," Temari says.

"We should go there," Naruto says impatiently, bouncing on his feet a little.

"No," Sasuke frowns. "He doesn't want us to get involved."

"But teme-!"

" _No_ , Naruto," Sasuke says firmly. "How did she get to know about the party, anyway?"

Sakura has wondered about it herself actually.

"Some of Itachi's co-workers used to work in Kizoshan, right?" Temari says. "Maybe someone let something slip?"

"Maybe," Sasuke concedes. "They do still have friends in Kizoshan."

Samui has begun to look a little pissed. She's sneering at Itachi, and Itachi merely stands with his hands across his chest.

"This is killing me," Naruto groans. "I wanna know what the hell is happening."

"Me, too," Sasuke admits.

When Samui forcefully pushes back Itachi, they all snap into action. Some of the people standing closest to Itachi move towards them even as the group hurries to the scene.

"I think it's time for you to leave," Itachi is calmly telling her.

"I'm not going to forget this, Itachi," she snarls.

"I'm sure that you won't," he agrees in the same serene manner. "Although, you don't seem to be understanding the reality of the situation. You trespass in my house, display aggressive behaviour towards me in front of witnesses, and we have history."

She takes a step forward, blatantly ignoring the others who move even closer to Itachi.

"Is this a threat?"

"Consider it merely an observation."

She chuckles without humour. "You seem to underestimate me. I came here to rekindle our relationship. I don't like it when people don't listen to me. You know that."

"Do whatever you want," Itachi says bluntly.

She cackles and it's not a very pleasant sound. "You'll never change. Your arrogance is astounding. Just because you built a small company does not mean you're the king of the world. I can stomp on you with the heel of my shoe."

"Like I said," Itachi says calmly, "do whatever you want, Samui. If I see you anywhere near me again, or my brother, or Naruto, I'm going to get a restraining order. And _that_ is a threat."

Samui's face flushes an ugly red. With a hateful glare thrown his way, she finally leaves the apartment. They all exhale simultaneously.

"That went well," Sakura comments offhandedly.

"Very," Itachi agrees.

"I hate you and your psycho exes," Sasuke glares at no one in particular.

"You hate everyone's exes," Naruto reminds him and nudges his arm lightly.

"I hope she doesn't bother you after this," Hinata says worriedly.

"Times like these, I miss Izumi," Shikamaru sighs.

"She is Itachi's only ex who doesn't hate him currently," Temari explains.

"I'm so glad I came today of all days," Ino giggles.

* * *


	9. Not All Heroes Wear a Cape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name is dedicated to every single person out there, ever.

The next month passes without Sakura realising. Her work keeps her busy to the point where Sasuke and Itachi end up coming over to her apartment in the evenings twice a week to make sure she's alive.

One fine Sunday morning, Sasuke knocks on her door.

"It's 7," she groans. "I came home two hours ago."

Sasuke is fidgeting with his fingers. "I need to talk."

Sakura sighs and steps aside to let him in. "Itachi?"

"He's out for a jog."

"I need coffee," she says and heads straight for her bedroom. She hears Sasuke mutter something under his breath.

She lays on her bed and is almost asleep when Sasuke shakes her awake to give her the coffee mug. He pushes her to the side a little and settles beside her on the bed. Sakura offers him the comforter. He snuggles in with his own coffee.

"Talk," she says after the first sip.

He doesn't. He just sits there, staring at his mug as if hoping to drown himself in it. Sakura waits.

Half an hour later, she hears her apartment door being opened. "Sasuke? Are you here?" Itachi's voice floats across the space.

"In here," Sakura calls out when Sasuke still doesn't speak.

Itachi enters and pauses, seeing them on her bed with the comforter in their laps, and cradling cups of – now – cold coffee. He looks freshly showered.

"What did I miss?" He comes to join them. He shoves Sakura in the middle and mirrors their position sans the cup.

Sakura sighs. All she wanted was to sleep, not be sandwiched in her bed between her two neighbours.

"Sasuke, if you're not going to talk, I'm going back to sleep," Sakura warns him tiredly.

Silence.

She passes her mug to Itachi, pulls the comforter up to her chest, snuggles into Itachi's side, and closes her eyes. He smells nice, she absently notices. Like mint soap. His body is warm and solid. Sakura whole-heartedly believes that it's a pleasant way to fall asleep.

And Itachi doesn't push her away, so that's always a plus. He shifts a little to make himself more comfortable.

She is almost asleep – once again – when Sasuke finally breaks his strange stupor.

"Do you think I should start dating?"

Sakura's eyes fly open. She exchanges a meaningful look with Itachi from her snuggled position before shifting again to see Sasuke better without craning her neck far too much.

"Why did you think that you couldn't in the first place?" she asks carefully.

Sasuke is still having a staring contest with his coffee. He shrugs lightly. "It's not … that."

"Then?" Itachi prods.

He bites his lip. "I just never thought of it, I suppose."

"But you have dated before?" Sakura asks, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. A little," he admits almost shyly. "It never went anywhere. I mean, I wasn't really serious about it, so …"

"And now you are?"

"I think so," he says quietly. "I do … want to be with someone. I don't know how long I can just … not do anything about it."

"What does Naruto think?" Itachi asks curiously.

Sasuke visibly flinches. "I … he …" he swallows. "It's none of his business."

Sakura's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at the harsh comment.

"It's not like …" Sasuke continues after a brief pause. "I mean, he's just waiting for the right girl, isn't he?"

"Are you?" Sakura asks softly. Naruto's heartbroken face comes to her mind.

"I'm not even _looking_ , am I? All I do is … nothing. I do nothing about it. I just sit and wait."

"Sasuke," Itachi says in a serious voice, the one he reserves for Sasuke when he steps in the role of the older brother. "Stop torturing yourself. And stop running away."

Sasuke finally looks at them. He appears scared and worried and stressed out.

"What do you mean?"

Sakura is leaning against Itachi's arm. He adjusts himself on the bed so that he's turned in Sasuke's direction, too. Sakura slips a little suddenly before Itachi wraps his arm around her from behind to steady her. She's actually still tired and slightly disoriented and doesn't care as much as to how she's sitting. For all she cares right now, Sasuke and Itachi are both taking up her sleep time and that Sasuke needs a little kick in the ass. A loving kick, of course.

"You know what I mean," Itachi replies calmly.

Silence.

"Okay, someone needs to keep talking otherwise I'm gonna fall the fuck asleep," Sakura snaps in annoyance. "Do you guys have any idea how long it takes to remove a fucking tumour from a man's heart? A sweet little annoying stubborn tumour that refused to leave without tearing the walls. If you want proof of what I had to deal with during the night, then my blood-splattered shoes are right there in the corner. Go on, have a look!"

Sasuke's eyes widen. "I'm good," he gulps, looking a little sick at the thought of blood-splattered shoes.

"Good. Now, spit it out already," Sakura pushes him. "We know that you like Naruto!"

"Sakura!" Itachi hisses.

Sasuke's eyes widen even further. "What?" he croaks. "I never-! Who said-! _What_?"

"And _you_ ," Sakura scrambles away from Itachi so that she can face both of them properly. She points an accusing finger at Itachi. "You _love_ to piss people off. You _enjoy_ speaking the harsh realities of the world. You can't _tolerate_ people who bullshit with themselves. Yet, here you are, pretending that I said something that you haven't wanted to say since _forever_! And, for the love of all that is Holy, do _not_ even think of playing the 'brother card'. Because I _know_ that you've been having the time of your life watching these two dancing around each other!"

She faces Sasuke next. " _Everyone_ knows. Hell, I actually got to know from Deidara and Tobi last month! And I personally shared it with Itachi the very next moment! The only reason why no one has said anything to you is because we thought that either you or Naruto will finally do something about it ever since I foolishly introduced Ino to you! Clearly, that did _not_ work because here you are, sitting on my bed, when _all_ I want to do is _sleep_ for _once_ because guess what? I made Chief Resident and now I barely have the time to eat, let alone watch you flying in Denial Land, when what you _really_ want to do is kiss the fuck out of that stupid, obnoxious, blonde dude who is your best freaking friend in the whole wide world!"

Silence.

Sakura takes a few deep breaths to steady herself, ignoring the dumbfounded stares from both the men at her outburst. She immediately starts to feel guilty, though, because she didn't want to belittle Sasuke's worry in this manner. He's obviously terrified of messing things up with Naruto, and probably has been hesitating this whole time for that very same reason. Naruto has been his best friend since a very long time, and that's the kind of friendship that no one would want to lose for any reason whatsoever.

On the other hand, Sakura _knows_ that Naruto wants the same thing. He literally spelled it out to her. Granted, he was drunk and his declaration magically sobered him up immediately (he really must be terrified out of his mind), it still doesn't change the fact that both of them would have had to acknowledge it sooner or later.

Then again, it isn't Sakura's place to decide the right time.

She'd just blatantly ignored Uncle Obito's teaching for the first time in her life. He has always said to her _all in good time_. Yet, here she was, ruining it for two of her friends.

She thinks she can cut herself some slack, though. She wasn't lying when she said she has been out of her mind with work recently. She hasn't had a good night's sleep in a week now, and it's been making her cranky and rude and highly impatient. Even her interns scramble away when she nears them. In fact, Ino called her Godzilla just two days ago.

Still. She shouldn't have said what she said. It's no excuse to interfere in someone's life like this. Sasuke came to her for comfort and advice, knowing what he knows and believing what he does, and she should have let him work through it rather than calling out on his cowardice in such harsh words.

She isn't all that worried about what she said to Itachi, though. The jerk had it coming.

"You …" Itachi clears his throat in the tense, uncomfortable silence. "You made Chief Resident?"

"Yeah," she says dejectedly.

"Congratulations," Sasuke offers shyly. He doesn't look mad. That's a positive sign.

"Thank you."

Silence.

"Sasuke," Sakura begins in a rush, words tumbling out messily. "I'm really, really sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm just super-tired and my whole body feels like pins and needles and I'm working like a slave and it's been so thrilling and exciting and I just want to sleep. That's no excuse. I'm just … _really_ sorry."

Sasuke winces and Sakura's chest tightens for being the cause of it. "No. No, you're right."

"No-!"

" _You are_ , though," Sasuke interrupts firmly. "But what if he doesn't feel the same way? I can't … I can't lose him, Sakura. He's … _Naruto_ , you know? He's supposed to be with me. He's supposed to pick fights with me and get drunk with me and share his life with me. How can I …? He's my best friend."

Sakura smiles sadly. "I know, sweetie. But how long will you wait? You will have to confront this eventually. Or you might miss the chance to … really be with him."

"I know," Sasuke rubs his forehead. "I guess I'm just scared. What if he realises that he doesn't feel the same?"

"Schrodinger's cat," Itachi reminds him lightly.

"Yeah." He cracks a genuine smile. "We have to celebrate, you know," he tells them. "Chief Resident."

Sakura accepts the deflection for what it is, and grins. "Movie night? Let's watch Iron Man 2! And I need beer. Lots of it."

Sasuke sits up straighter with excitement at the prospect of imparting his wisdom and passion for another one of MCU movies. "Done! Get some sleep and come over whenever! Itachi is staying home today, anyway. So we can watch 2 movies."

"Sounds perfect," she assures him. "Now get out of my bed. Both of you."

* * *

They watch Iron Man 2 and Thor 1 late afternoon when Sakura goes over after eating her lunch. Since Itachi's birthday party, Naruto has been rather subdued around Sakura. Tonight, it's no different. Sure, he's still bright and lively, but whenever he speaks with her, it is as though he is back in the party, drunkenly announcing that he wants Sasuke. _Don't tell him_ , he'd said.

Sakura hasn't met up with either Hinata or Temari since that night. She thinks about visiting Temari at work along with Hinata to get some advice on the matter. She doesn't think Itachi would be the perfect candidate for this. He is either clueless or borderline psychopath. Sakura needs a well-adjusted human being. That automatically rules out herself, Kakashi, Uncle Obito, and Itachi. She supposes Shikamaru might have some insights if he bothered himself with it, which doesn't sound too likely.

Sharing this with Ino would feel disrespectful. Sakura still hasn't had the courage to tell her about her blunder.

When the end credits of their second movie start rolling, Sakura wonders why she's worrying this deep over something that doesn't even concern her. Sure, Sasuke and Naruto are her friends, but it's still their life. Where to draw the line?

On reflex, the question makes her turn to look at Itachi. He said he doesn't easily get the hang of precisely these social boundaries and it leads her to question her own capability with it. Growing up, her friends have been foremost Kakashi and Uncle Obito – two men, best friends, who had no idea how to raise a daughter. They were struggling with their own love lives at that moment, got abandoned by their friend/love interest because she couldn't take the responsibility, and taught Sakura everything that they knew with no constraints whatsoever. Kakashi's choice of career has been a big part of her life, and Uncle Obito's motto of diving straight into the heart of things (must be a journalist thing) left her with pretty confusing boundaries herself.

Why did Itachi struggle with it, in that case? Sakura can objectively justify her confusion, but as far as she knew, Itachi had a fairly normal childhood. Sasuke turned out to be the epitome of socialisation.

She wonders if it has anything to do with what he'd admitted to about regretting having to graduate the traditional way. He did express his distaste of dealing with the routine woes of his peers, when he'd wanted something wholly different in life. Regardless, Sakura thinks that Itachi had every chance to understand these basic conventions and yet, somehow, he has managed to completely miss out on them.

During her budding relation with her neighbours, Sakura had simply brushed off Itachi's straightforwardness as honesty. Accepted for what he was with relative ease – rude, having no filter, condescending, arrogant, and impatient. He's always been vocal about his opinions. Which justifies why Itachi needs to categorize people in his head to know how to behave.

That seems strange to her, though. Itachi has never seemed to struggle with how to be around her. He's been his usual self, right from the first words that he'd ever uttered to her, and she hadn't let it become a problem because it hadn't seemed like a problem in the first place. She'd merely pointed out his hypocrisy of reprimanding Sasuke over manners when he'd called her the milk thief not a minute ago.

Clearly, there is more to the man than Sakura understands. It's not only that Itachi has been a pain in the ass at times with his irritating habit of pointing out unnecessary things to her, he has also proven to be a good friend. He's been helpful, lent an ear, sought out her company even, and has been genuinely interested in her life in general. He bonded well with Kakashi and Uncle Obito, and for Sakura, that's the ultimate stamp of approval. If her father and uncle didn't have anything bad to say about him, then it means that they honestly did not have anything bad to say about him.

This spiel over Itachi suddenly makes her pause. Recently, Sakura has realised that her thoughts have started to drift towards him in the most unexpected ways and at the most random times. In fact, when she'd been repairing the man's heart early in the morning, there was a moment when she'd gotten excited about telling Itachi all about the complicated procedure. Of course, things hadn't gone exactly the way she'd envisioned – she ended up calling out Sasuke on his matter with Naruto – but the principle of it counts.

Sakura studies him in the present moment. She's sitting beside Sasuke on their couch – the movie credits are still rolling and no one seems bothered to shut the TV, and Naruto is digging in the refrigerator. Itachi, meanwhile, has drifted over to his laptop, checking his emails.

He's wearing a casual black T-shirt and blue track pants. His hair is in a ponytail today. He doesn't look like a CEO whatsoever, even though Sakura still remembers the way he'd dressed up for the party – a marble grey suit with midnight blue shirt, hair in a bun, glasses, _the crow earring_ – and the way his entire team addressed him as _Boss_.

The earring and the glasses still haunt Sakura from time to time. The more days that pass by, the more they become attractive in her mind. Maybe because Itachi doesn't wear them on a regular basis that it seems as though they belong to a Special Edition of him.

He has a nice side profile, she notices almost absently.

"…tain America is an excellent movie," Sasuke is telling her. Sakura refocuses her attention. If Sasuke noticed her distraction, he doesn't comment, although it seems unlikely because he's studying Naruto from the corner of his eyes. The blonde has settled on eating a cucumber. "And you will absolutely love Avengers 1. The super-heroes come together to fight their very first inter-galactic war."

"Hang on," Sakura interrupts, his words registering in her mind. "You're telling me that Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America – whoever he is – come _together?_ "

"Yes! And Black Widow and Hawkeye."

The thought is actually exciting for Sakura. She's been honestly loving these super-hero movies, and is glad that the boys introduced her to them. Something about watching normal people become super-heroes to save the world is quite enticing.

_"We don't always save the day."_

She remembers saying that to Itachi. She remembers him saying on another fateful day, _"It's okay to choose not to be a hero."_

He'd chosen that. He'd accepted it. He'd endured school and college, listening to his peers discuss topics that hasn't interested him in the least.

Watching him now, though, wearing a normal T-shirt and pants, sitting in front of his laptop to check work emails, Sakura has the strangest feeling that something feels off.

Itachi doesn't belong here. He doesn't belong running a small business. If he's as sharp as he believes he is, if he's truly a prodigy who did not get to flourish the way he had hoped for, then Itachi doesn't belong here, doing neighbourly things, and trying to understand social boundaries.

_It's okay to choose not be a hero._

_But what if you're born to become one?_

* * *

Sakura thinks that Sasuke's birthday might end up being even more dramatic than Itachi's, but the most exciting thing that happens is that they sit at a table that happens to be near a rapper called Killer Bee, whom Naruto personally has made friends with during one of Jiraiya's after-parties.

Killer Bee speaks in rhymes. Sakura has a hard time containing her laughter. Itachi, on the other hand, looks so displeased with his manner of communication that he scowls the entire time.

After their birthday dinner, an intimate affair, Naruto whisks off Sasuke for "his personalised gift". Naruto has already told her that he's planned Sasuke's favourite activities for them to do, including, but not limited to, a walk by the pier, draught beer at Chouji's Bar, and midnight open theatre screening of Black Panther.

Hinata gifts him a red silk tie _for special occasions_ , she says. Temari and Shikamaru, the only engaged couple (correction: the _only couple_ ) in their small group, present him with a Smart Ring as a testament to his _techie side_ , according to Temari.

Sakura bought him a limited edition E.D.I.T.H. glasses – Itachi convinced her that Sasuke would like it very much since she has no clue what they're supposed to be. Apparently, she'll learn while watching the latest MCU movie Spider-Man: Far from Home, but it won't happen for a good amount of time and she _better not Google it up._

On the other hand, Itachi bought him a weekend get-away to the north, complete with sightseeing tickets, local car, and a cosy B&B room in the mountains. And he bought _two_ of everything, heavily hinting that he should take his most trusted friend when he's going on a trip away from home so that Itachi wouldn't have to worry about his safety.

Sakura realised then what Naruto had said about Itachi spoiling Sasuke.

Needless to say, Sasuke expresses his appreciation rather energetically before Naruto drags him away from the restaurant, wanting to top off Sakura and Itachi's gifts. Itachi tells him that it's not a competition – wearing a smug smirk the whole time.

As Sakura hums a random tune, sitting in the passenger seat of Itachi's car as they head back home, she thinks that she's not yet ready to call it a night.

"You want to grab some ice cream?" she asks him.

Itachi glances at her. "Sakura, I cannot stress this enough even after having known you for quite a while now," and Sakura braces for another jab. "As a doctor, you should know that having ice cream before bed is highly frowned upon."

"You want ice cream or not, genius?" she asks loudly.

Pause. "Fine."

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" she smiles sweetly.

He rolls his eyes.

Itachi parks near the first Gelato that they come across. The place isn't crowded at this hour of the night, and she calculates the amount of time she has before she absolutely needs to sleep. Her surgery scheduled on the next day requires her to study certain procedures prior to it. It's a highly risky procedure, but Dr. Orochimaru convinced her that if they are able to pull this off, it might make the news in their community.

Even though Sakura is well on the ladder that only goes up, she is never opposed to medical breakthroughs. If she plans on making her name, she has to do what's necessary. Dr. Orochimaru isn't known because he stuck by the books. He has always taken risks in his career, pushed beyond the boundaries, and never backed out from a case.

"Which one do you want?" Itachi asks her, already pulling out his wallet to pay for the ice cream.

"That one," Sakura points at a random one that looks appealing. It's mint green in colour with rainbow sprinkles.

Itachi orders a chocolate chip mint for himself. They sit at a table by the front glass wall.

"Itachi."

He raises an eyebrow at her tone. "Yes?"

Sakura hesitates before taking the plunge. She has been wanting to ask this for a while now, but no time felt like a good time. With her being busy with the hospital, and Itachi having increased his personal work-time, she barely had a decent conversation that was not just small talk.

"If you had the choice … the chance to do what you wanted to do, what would it have been?"

Itachi studies her carefully, holding her gaze steady. "I _am_ doing what I want."

"I mean, if you were in the programme for gifted individuals and did not follow the traditional route."

"Where is this coming from?"

Sakura shrugs as nonchalantly as possible, taking a spoonful of ice cream. "Nowhere. Just curious."

"Uh huh," Itachi replies, unconvinced. "It doesn't matter. Even if I had graduated early, I still would have had to choose one major. I'd be doing what I'm doing currently."

"Okay, let me put this another way," she says. "What if you had the freedom to do whatever you wanted, irrespective of money or parental differences in opinion?"

"If I had the chance to do what I wanted to do, what would it have been?" he repeats her earlier question, this time understanding for what it is.

Sakura watches as he mulls it over in his head.

"I think … I think I would have travelled," he eventually says. "Money has been a major constraint for me growing up. My father was in the local police force, and my mother's bakery is still the same as it always has been. With Sasuke being born, my parents had to be even more careful with their finances for obvious reasons." He takes a pause to think over his next words. "Traveling wouldn't have been a career, perhaps. Although, I would have come up with a way to make money through it. Personally, though, I wish I didn't have to care about earning. Money has always been a means to an end. Something you won't understand."

He throws a smirk in her direction as he says the last part, referring to her habit of discussing financial situations. Growing up, Sakura never faced monetary problems the way Itachi had. In fact, Kakashi and Uncle Obito had gained popularity in their careers quite early in their professional life, and they made a decent living out of it. They always bought her whatever she would demand for – although, the things she'd demand for used to be medical supplies most of the times. She won't say that she was spoiled by them, regardless of how it looks, but that she is used to having things when she wants them. This only abated when she started her internship and did not have the time or the energy, or the money since she's still paying off the last of her college loan – something Kakashi and Uncle Obito had insisted upon by trying to make her believe that it would make her responsible in life, to buy the necessary items for sustenance. Sakura wonders whether it is such because she's always taken money for granted and believes that if she had the motivation, she would have easily bought more furniture – to begin with.

It appears to her that she's been questioning a lot of things in her life lately.

She ignores Itachi's jab for the moment, even though she wants to remind him that it wouldn't have been possible for him to buy a weekend get-away for Sasuke if he didn't make that kind of money in the first place.

"But you'd said that you wanted to pursue knowledge. I thought you'd get more degrees like Naruto had said you wanted to, earlier in your life."

Itachi considers her for a moment. "I did. I do. The thing is, I'm doing business because I have given the exam for business. I have a certificate to show for it. It doesn't mean that I did not partake in studying other topics that I found interesting. Traveling and my academics are two different things for me. Visiting the various places on the planet will surely aide to my end goal, but it was more personal than that, to be wanting that. Konoha is a small town, with a small population. To me, I think the idea of staying there and having to graduate with everyone else felt like one and the same. Suffocating and annoying and tedious. To be frank, quite unnecessary, as well."

"You don't stay in Konoha any longer," Sakura points out. "Do you still want to travel as an escape?"

Because that is what it sounds like to her. Traveling is his means to escape the situation that he was in while growing up. Imagining a future where he could be whatever he wanted, be wherever he wanted, and with no regards to societal obligations must have been the dream. Not that traveling inherently entails that, but she can see the appeal of wanting to live by your own rules.

"I suppose not," he answers carefully. "Things obviously turned out well. Weren't we discussing a hypothetical situation where I wouldn't be bound by my actual circumstances?"

"Yeah, of course," she says quickly. "I was just curious."

So, Itachi is a dreamer at heart. Sakura's chest clenches at the thought for some reason. It's not painful, like the way it feels when he smiles goofily at her, but the way it does when he's working on his laptop, as though he doesn't belong in the piece of space-time that he's in at that moment.

It's obvious that Itachi hasn't been able to successfully let go of the dreams he had as a child. He sounded almost wistful during his explanation of wanting to visit places, not caring about things such as money, and wanting to become whatever he felt like.

The ironic part is that Itachi's childhood has been the hallmark card of "normal". And despite what he believes his experience has been, his dreams have also been "normal". Every kid has wanted what he wanted, before they all grew up and realised that things are a bit more complicated than that.

Perhaps Itachi's struggle isn't as personal as he believes it to be.

 _It's okay to choose not to be a hero_.

But Itachi _is_ one. Maybe not in the conventional sense of the word, though. Itachi has lived the life of an ordinary person, despite being born with exceptional intellectual capacities, and taken the roles he's been presented with in stride. He remained loyal to his duties as a brother, a son, a friend, and now a CEO. In Sakura's eyes, that's pretty damn heroic.

* * *


	10. Non-Optional Social Conventions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name is inspired from TBBT, wherein Sheldon dutifully goes through social niceties if you tell him that it's a non-optional social convention.

"Riddle me this," Temari says, cradling a glass of wine between her fingers. "Your father's name is Hatake Kakashi but your name is Haruno Sakura."

Hinata, Temari, and Sakura are at Temari and Shikamaru's apartment for the evening. Shikamaru, meanwhile, is visiting his parents. Since his father works for the government, Shikamaru's parents stay in the government-mandated house. Apparently, Shikamaru moved out the minute he turned eighteen. _I timed it_ , he had said lazily on a fine Saturday night at 10A.

Sakura shrugs, her cheeks dusting a light pink. "Kakashi said I came with a small note with the name _Haruno_ written on it. He had no idea whether it was supposed to be my given name or my family name."

"So he kept it as your family name and gave you _Sakura_?" Hinata asks curiously.

"Yeah."

She'd already had this conversation with Itachi and Sasuke months ago. They both concluded that Kakashi is a wise man for giving her _Sakura_ because _Haruno_ is just "ugh". Kakashi wanted Sakura to always have the option to look up the name Haruno in case she felt the need to do so.

She never has. At least, not yet.

"Did the note say anything else?" Temari questions carefully.

"Not that I know of," Sakura admits. She has never questioned Kakashi over it. Even when the kids around her teased her for having a different name than her father, she put up with it. Sakura might not have a photographic memory, if such a thing even exists in real life, but she remembers with startling clarity the way Kakashi would don on flowery sundresses and attend her tea parties, wearing a tiara to match with her princess crown. His natural silver hair went beautifully with his role of a Grandma during such events.

Of course, Sakura grew out of her tea-parties phase within two months, but the principle of it still counts.

"Have you guys decided on a wedding date?" Hinata asks Temari.

It has been three months since their engagement already.

"Actually, I was thinking of having a December wedding," Temari admits.

Hinata's eyes widen and Sakura slowly lowers her glass from her lips.

"Temari," Sakura says, "it's the month of August. You'll have only four months in your hand to get things in order. And no offence, I hardly doubt Shika is going to participate much at all."

Even as she says it, Sakura thinks back to Itachi's speech to Shikamaru about how the process of the wedding in itself is part of becoming a team.

"Not to mention, the location of the wedding," Hinata adds in. "Will you have it here or Suna? Have your parents said anything?"

"About that. I was thinking of having it in Suna."

"What does Shika have to say on this?"

Temari shrugs and takes a sip. "He said he's okay with it if that's what I want. And I honestly do. I grew up in Suna. It feels right to do this near home."

"But! Temari, pulling a wedding together in another city within four months! How will that be even possible?"

"I know, okay?" Temari says. "But look at it in this way – I already have a flower decorator," she points at Hinata who blushes, "a caterer," she points at herself, "a groom, and a location. All I have to work on are the wedding invitations as soon as possible, and the actual ceremony."

"Hang on, Suna is not a location," Sakura says.

Temari rolls her eyes. "I know, you idiot. I meant an actual location for the wedding _in_ Suna."

"Oh."

"What about the wedding dress?" Hinata asks. "And bringing everything together takes a while. Even if you do have all these sorted out, you will need to be at the location to conduct it all. Temari, there are decorations to think about. What kind of a theme are you going for? What about the band? The seating arrangement? Where will the guests stay? Their travel arrangements to and from the location? Since this is sort of a destination wedding, you will have to make sure the guests feel comfortable to commute. Not to mention, the priest. Are you calling for one-?"

"Hinata," Temari says loudly before the woman can continue listing out the worries.

"What? You're going to have to think about these things! Temari –"

"I don't," Temari smirks. "You do."

Hinata frowns. "Why do I have to … Oh."

Temari grins, holding her wine glass in a toast. "I was under the impression that the Maid of Honour will be taking care of it for me."

Hinata doesn't move a muscle for about thirty seconds. "You want me to be your Maid of Honor?" she repeats to make sure that she heard it right.

Sakura is staring between the two women, trying not to laugh at Hinata's dumbfounded expression. She wonders if she should be offended, but reminds herself that while the women have become her friends, Hinata and Temari are neighbours and have known each other longer. Hinata is also Shikamaru's close friend, and it must have been a matter of time for Temari and her to bond over the years.

"Yes, obviously," Temari says coolly. "Unless you don't want to…?"

"No! I mean, of course. I'd love that, Temari!" Hinata beams.

Sakura holds up her glass as well. "To the Maid of Honour."

"Hear, hear!" Temari says.

As soon as they clink their glasses together, Hinata's face morphs into one of horror. "Oh my god. Why would you tell me this so late? We have only four months in hand, you woman. And you want a destination wedding? This is going to end in disaster."

Temari and Sakura burst out in laughter.

"Who's the Best Man?" Sakura asks once they've calmed down.

"Itachi," Temari says. "Shikamaru hasn't asked him yet, though."

"Oh, can I be there when he does?" Sakura asks excitedly. She'd love to watch Itachi's face when he learns that he has to play a rather big role in a wedding, one of the most important social events in human life. Especially having to give the traditional Best Man speech.

Sakura laughs at another sudden thought. "They're going to be the most uncomfortable people in that wedding."

"I don't know about that," Temari cackles. "My little brother might beat them to it."

When Sakura was in Suna for her bachelor's and pre-med, the only reason why she even knew Kankuro was because he was in one of the same electives as her. They weren't friends, though. Kankuro loved to tease everyone around him, and when he learned Sakura's mock-name _Pinkette_ , he took it upon himself to call her that every chance that he got.

Suna is not a large place. It's a small city that happens to have one of the better Universities in the country. For Sakura, the term _small world_ took a completely different meaning when she learned that Temari is Kankuro's younger sister, that Sasori is working with Itachi, and that Naruto's friend in Kizoshan is Temari's younger brother, Gaara.

Sakura has heard titbits about Gaara. She's seen his photo on Temari's phone. He's a tiny little redhead who doesn't know how to smile. Temari says that Gaara is highly introverted and hasn't been able to make decent friends in life for it, except for Naruto.

Sakura felt so bad for him when she heard it, she felt like sending him a teddy bear using Itachi's delivery service.

"Since we're on the topic," Temari cuts through her thoughts. "Sakura, you're one of the Bridesmaids."

Sakura snickers at the phrasing. "Alright. Anyone else?"

"Maybe it would benefit me personally if you list out the wedding party in one go," Hinata adds in a pointed tone.

Temari sighs heavily. "Alright, if we're going to do this right now, I need to pop open another bottle of wine."

"I highly recommend it," Sakura says.

Unbridled, Itachi's haughty voice fills her head. _Says the doctor._

She finishes the rest of the wine in her glass in one huge gulp.

* * *

When Shikamaru tells Itachi that he is his Best Man, Itachi stares at him with a blank face and then says a clear, "No."

Shikamaru sighs, as if he had expected this outcome. "Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No-"

" _Yes_ ," Shikamaru hisses. "I'm sorry, did I ask?"

"Aren't you supposed to?" Sakura points out, just for the hell of it.

"Temari didn't ask me, either," Hinata reminds her unnecessarily.

"Again," Sakura rolls her eyes. "Wasn't she _supposed_ to?"

"I'm not doing it," Itachi states. "Find someone else."

"Who else?" Temari mutters under her breath, eyeing her fiancé. Shikamaru's friend list consists of everyone sitting in this room currently. Sakura supposes that either Naruto or Sasuke wouldn't mind it, but Itachi is Shikamaru's best friend at the end of the day.

"Itachi, don't be difficult," Shikamaru groans. "Just say yes so that we can get it over with."

"You won't have to do anything," Itachi says in a disgusted voice. "As the groom, your only job is to stand at the alter and say your vows and get married."

"My job begins after the 'get married' bit," Shikamaru complains. "At least be glad you don't have to do _that_."

The room bursts out in laughter, except for Itachi and Shikamaru who are glaring at each other.

"How is that a consolation?" Itachi says. "You two already live like a married couple. You'll just go home after the reception like any other day. I, on the other hand, have to perform the Best Man duties."

"Do you know what they are?" Sakura asks, interested.

"Of course, I do," Itachi defends. "I have to give a funny speech, walk the aisle with the Maid of Honour, and help the groom with shopping."

The room laughs again.

"That's not all, genius," Sakura giggles.

"That's all they show in the movies," Itachi grumbles. "I don't see anything else to be done."

"You have to help the Maid of Honour in the planning," Sasuke informs him. "Of course, that's usually an optional duty depending on the bride and the groom. As far as I know Shikamaru and Temari, though, I think it's safe to assume they want to do as little as possible in their own wedding."

"You also have to plan the Bachelor's party," Naruto adds, before either Temari or Shikamaru can defend themselves. Not that they looked ready to do it, anyway.

"Lead the groomsmen," Hinata lists. "Hold on to the wedding rings, dance with the Maid of Honour, and address the telegrams."

"Decorate the get-away car," Sakura says.

"Not to mention, if Shika gets cold feet," Naruto grins, "you have to make sure he is standing at the alter before Temari walks down the aisle at any cost."

"No," Itachi repeats. "Definitely not doing it."

"Then I suppose I'll have a wedding without a Best Man," Shikamaru sighs.

"You can't do that!" Naruto exclaims incredulously. "You can't have a wedding without a Best Man!"

"Watch me," Shikamaru mutters. "If he's not going to do it, I don't exactly want anyone else doing it, anyway."

"What?" Itachi stares.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Shikamaru frowns. "Are you honestly that surprised?"

"Well," Itachi clears his throat. "Yes."

"Why?" Shikamaru snorts derisively. "You're my best friend. The best friend is the Best Man." He states as though it were a law, and then sighs. "Itachi, you've been my only friend and the only friend I even wanted to have in life. Seriously, who else would I want there to be standing beside me when I marry the woman I love? You were the first person I told when I thought I liked her, the person who helped me plan the first date with her, you even moved out without a fuss when Temari wanted to move-in with me – even though you like to pretend it was for Sasuke's sake, and you told me to get my shit together when I freaked out over this whole thing in the first place. You're my best friend. I don't care about whether you're happy with the traditional duties or not. That's not why I want you to be my Best Man. I want you to be it because there's no one else I want to stand beside when I get married."

The silence in the room deepens. They all try not to stare between the two men, but it's difficult with Itachi that dumbfounded and Shikamaru giving him a 'duh' expression.

Sakura has never heard Shikamaru speak so many words in such a short span. Not just that, she's never heard him give an emotional justification. Even when he was freaking out over proposing, his reasoning had been a detached, generic opinion over the constitution of marriage as a whole. Sakura knows that Itachi and Shikamaru have been friends from college and former flatmates. However, she never knew that Itachi's involvement in Shikamaru's life had been this thorough. For all the aloofness the two men possess, they really sound like brothers after Shikamaru's little speech.

"Right," Itachi eventually says in a steady voice. "If that's the case, I … I suppose I can handle a few duties."

"Thank goodness," Temari mutters. "That's settled then. Maid of Honour," she points at Hinata, "and the Best Man," she points at Itachi. "You guys may begin the planning."

"December wedding in Suna," Naruto rubs his hands excitedly. "That's going to be freaking cold."

Suna is surrounded by desert from all sides. 'Freaking cold' doesn't even begin to cover it. Sakura has spent her winters firmly shut inside Uncle Gai's house – Kakashi's friend, with whom she was staying.

"Also, Shikamaru forgot to mention the groomsmen," Temari says. She points at Sasuke and Naruto.

"Perfect!" Naruto crows and Sasuke beams.

"Won't you need another bridesmaid?" Sasuke points out. "Itachi with Hinata, one of us with Sakura, and the other one with …?"

"Naruto can walk with Karin," Temari replies. "She's my friend from work."

"The redhead who swoons over Sasuke every time we visit the restaurant?" Naruto asks with an odd expression.

"Yep, the very same. Unless, you want to walk with Sakura then Sasuke can walk with Kar –"

"No!" Naruto interrupts quickly. "I can do it, no problem."

Temari smiles like a Chesire cat. "Wonderful."

Sakura turns to exchange a grin with Itachi, but it doesn't look as though he's even paying attention. His glass of Cuba Libre is empty and he's stirring the remaining ice cubes listlessly.

* * *

Later that night, Sakura fills in Kakashi and Uncle Obito with the wedding news. Kakashi has put her on speaker like always so that the three can talk at the same time.

"In Suna, huh?" Kakashi says thoughtfully. "In December. Obi, what do you say we plan a visit ourselves?"

"I think we should," Uncle Obito agrees. "We haven't seen Gai in a long time. Lee returned to Suna recently, as well."

Lee is Uncle Gai's nephew. He'd moved to Iwa for college when Sakura had moved to Suna for hers. She'd met Lee the few times he'd come home during the holidays, before she'd leave to return to Kakashi and Uncle Obito to spend _her_ holidays.

"Really?" Sakura asks the two. "What is he doing these days?"

"He is helping Gai with the gym."

Lee has a degree in Sports Management. Sakura remembers the enthusiasm Uncle Gai tried to impart upon her all those years. He gave her a free membership for his gym, which was rather sweet, and it did help Sakura in more ways than one in its own way. Also, whenever Lee and she happened to be staying at the same time in the house, he would accompany her everywhere so that she wouldn't feel alone.

Apart from Sasori, and their friendship was limited to his games, Sakura had only two other friends – Sai and Shizune, both of whom she met in pre-med and not bachelors, long after Lee introduced himself in her life.

"It would make a nice Christmas holiday," Kakashi muses. "What's the wedding date?"

"23rd December."

"Perfect," Uncle Obito says and Sakura can hear the smile in his voice. "We can arrive in time for Christmas."

"I'll have to apply for a long break," Sakura points out. "And no way I'm staying there until New Year's."

"Yeah, yeah," Kakashi dismisses it. "The Drunken Surgeries, we know. We can return on 26th itself."

"That works."

Drunken Surgeries is what they call the night of doom that happens to be New Year's Eve. With the amount of parties and alcohol consumption and strange ideas that people come up with, it is one of the busiest times of the year at the hospital, if not the most. Sakura absolutely loves it. She has never missed a single one ever since her first time as an intern.

"Speaking of weddings," Kakashi says devilishly. "When can we expect yours, doll?"

Sakura rolls her eyes. "I'm not dating, Dad."

"Yet," Uncle Obito adds.

"Even if I was," she continues, "don't you think it would be a couple of years before a wedding?"

"Speaking of," Kakashi repeats in that same devilish tone. "Since you don't seem to be interested in dating whatsoever, shall we begin to arrange blind dates for you?"

"No!" Sakura snaps quickly. "And I _have_ dated in my life. I don't see why you need to arrange anything for me because I'm clearly capable of doing it on my own."

Granted, Sakura has only dated two men until now, and they were over within a few months, it still doesn't mean she's going to let these two interfere.

"I hardly call that dating, sweetheart," Uncle Obito points out.

"Still," she says stubbornly. "The point remains. Besides, look who's talking! Two single men in their old age with a daughter. I should plan your wedding for you."

"We are not old," Kakashi defends. "And raising a daughter is a difficult task, right Obi? We believed that focusing on you was far more important than _marrying_."

"Precisely," Uncle Obito agrees.

"Please," Sakura scoffs. "But okay, fine. What about now? I haven't been staying with you two in a long time. You are free to pursue your own romance stories."

"And we have," Kakashi replies. "It's not our fault if the romance stories last one night."

"Ew," Sakura's face scrunches up. "You both need to stop that. Find someone decent, for god's sake."

"We're too old for that," Kakashi changes tactics, despite the fact that he was the one to quickly defend their age not two minutes ago.

"Precisely," Uncle Obito agrees again.

"Not you, too," Sakura groans. "Uncle Obi, you believe in romance stories more than either of us combined. Surely, you would want to stay with someone you love."

"Technically," Kakashi says stiffly, "he _is_ staying with someone he loves. Me."

"You know what I mean."

"I do," Uncle Obito assures her but doesn't add more to it.

Sakura gives up. If they both want to stay with their strange dynamics, then more power to them. She just hopes that it doesn't blow in their face.

They talk a bit more about their respective work. Kakashi has his next book launch in the month of November, for which he has been visiting all kinds of shady places. He said that his agent has asked for a more stable plot line for the next book, and Kakashi has decided to write a proper story that has a sex scandal, with the detailed scenes of course. He is a porn writer, after all.

On the other hand, Uncle Obito has been offered a position as the lead journalist on a TV show. His years of field experience has made him a viable candidate, and he has his audition in two weeks' time. The surprising bit of information, though, is when he tells her that Itachi has stayed in touch with him this entire time. Uncle Obito calls him a _smart, young entrepreneur with great potential_.

As far as Sakura's work is concerned, she tells them about her recent successful surgery with Dr. Orochimaru. It got her name in one of the leading academic magazines as his assistant surgeon and co-researcher. Dr. Tsunade congratulated her personally and told her she's looking forward to more successes. Sakura _has_ quickly gained fame as one of the youngest Chief Residents in their city and as the doctor who saved another doctor's life in the storage room at gunpoint.

Sakura calls it a night when the clock strikes eleven and it becomes difficult to stay on the phone any longer.

* * *

It all starts when Sakura says that she likes Hulk over Captain America after watching Avengers 1.

Itachi is glaring at her across the table as he, Sakura, and Sasuke sit for dinner at the restaurant where Temari works as a chef, called Alessandro.

"She'll have the greasiest burger you can possible prepare," Itachi tells the waitress. "Make sure to tell the chef to use last night's oil to fry the patty."

The waitress fidgets uncomfortably. "Sir, I'm afraid that's not –"

"And he will have chicken noodle soup without the chicken or the noodle," Sakura says loudly over the waitress.

"For drinks, she will have scotch, neat."

She hates scotch. "And he will have KF draught beer."

He says that it is as though the company tried to make beer as awful as possible and succeeded.

"For dessert," Itachi continues, "she will have pineapple pie."

"And he will have dark chocolate pudding."

Itachi hates bitter tasting chocolate.

"Can we have another minute, instead?" Sasuke smiles at the waitress. "Please scratch their orders."

She nods in relief and leaves.

"Cut it out, both of you!" Sasuke snaps the next instant.

"Tell her that!" Itachi says accusingly.

"You started it!" Sakura growls.

"If that means being so stupid that you'd pick a green monster who can't even control his temper, and probably needs yoga, then sure – I started it."

"He becomes Hulk _after_ he loses his temper! Aren't you supposed to be a genius?"

"Aren't you supposed to be an expert on science and realise that exposure to such high level of gamma radiation and surviving is not even possible!"

Sakura's mouth gapes open a few times. "You wanna talk about how Steve Rogers _became_ Captain America? If it wasn't for Howard Stark's Super-Soldier _experimental_ serum, he wouldn't be what he is today!"

"Of _course_ , you'd think about his perfect body," Itachi says loathingly. "But I meant his leadership skills!"

"He wouldn't _have_ anyone to lead if not for his team, then what would be the point?"

"Oh, now you're choosing _everyone_ over Captain America? Besides, Steve wouldn't have needed _this_ particular team to lead. That's the beauty of being a true leader. You can have anyone in the team and know exactly what to do with them!"

"Steve is not playing chess, genius! And Hulk is not _anyone_. If it weren't for him, they wouldn't have been able to defeat Chitauri as efficiently!"

"Sakura, why do you keep changing sides? I know Steve is not playing chess, he's leading the Avengers into a better world. They need him!"

"They also need Hulk!"

"They would be fine without Hulk! They need Cap more than they need Hulk."

"This is an unfair discussion," Sakura reminds him. "I haven't seen all the movies, yet. You have. And I still think that they need Hulk even though you won't admit to it because you love Cap so much."

"Of course, I do. He's at the highest peak of human perfection!"

"I thought you didn't care about his body."

"It certainly helps."

"Now who's changing sides? Itachi, you're such a hypocrite."

"Look who's talking!"

Sakura stares. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Itachi scoffs. "Sakura, you're a _doctor_." She rolls her eyes. Not this again. "You don't care about your own circadian rhythm, you keep passing out at places, you miss meals, you drink wine to get through conversations, you're addicted to caffeine, _and_ you have no regards to your own blood pressure. I can see the vein on your large forehead popping."

"Can we just have a normal dinner?" Sasuke interrupts loudly.

"Normal went out the window when you took this woman in," Itachi says, without missing a beat. "She asked for milk, Sasuke, not a BFF."

"As if you were even remotely normal when I wasn't there!" Sakura protests. "And Sasuke is a great BFF to have!"

"I'm sure he is," Itachi agrees. "Who else would sit through your mood swings during PMS and not go crazy?"

"Because he isn't a _child!_ I swear, Itachi, you act as if I'm the only woman who has mood swings. How are you a CEO when you can't even sit through _one_ complaining person?"

"Because my clients or co-workers don't hog on my time when they're PMSing! And I act as though you're the only woman who has mood swings because you're literally the only woman in my life to put me through that!"

"Oh, I'm sorry to have caused you such great pain," Sakura snarls. "It's not as though I'm a surgeon and don't already have enough body ache to deal with at all, that a little PMS puts me in a bad mood!"

"I always gave you a foot massage!" Itachi reminds her incredulously.

"That's the least you could have done after all the complaining you do about my complaining!"

"Least I could have done?" Itachi repeats, his voice rising with disbelief. "I've done so many things for you!"

"So have I," Sakura defends.

"Yeah? Like what?" Itachi challenges.

"I baked you a chocolate cake for your birthday with no prior experience because you like chocolate. I pulled sleepless nights so that I could attend your stupid birthday party. I drove to fucking Kiri on my off day to get you that bottle of rum you love when you thought I was staying at the hospital and told you that it was a gift from a co-worker. I convinced Hinata to lay you off from Best Man duties that would require you to take time off from work because I know how busy you've been recently, _and_ I bought those stupid biscuits you munch on that I hate but you love, so that you can have them even when you're hanging out in my apartment! So I'm sorry if giving me a goddamn foot massage once a month is such a _huge_ problem!"

Silence. Sakura glares at the floor, not wanting to see their faces.

The waitress chooses that time to return. "Are you ready to order?"

Sakura doesn't speak; not taking her eyes away from the while tiles.

"Yes," she hears itachi say. He clears his throat. "Tangerine chicken with steamed rice, coleslaw salad on the side, and lychee juice for her."

Sakura smiles despite herself. It's the order she was planning to have tonight, and had mentioned in their ride over to the restaurant. Itachi and Sasuke finish ordering for themselves, too.

"I still think Captain America is better than Hulk," Itachi mutters in the silence. "Without Cap, Hulk wouldn't know what to do."

Sakura shakes her head at him. "It's fine if Hulk doesn't know what to do. Banner is smart as hell. He would have figured out eventually."

"If it makes anyone feel any better," Sasuke puts in, "I think Iron Man is better than both Hulk and Cap."

That begins another round of argument.

* * *


	11. The Joker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I did not mean to introduce DC Comics in the middle of MCU with the chapter name. It's actually a reference to Carl Jung's theory of archetypes. The Joker is a powerful character who is able to shift between worlds, regardless of authority, to shake things up a bit. Also, MCU's character Loki – Thor's brother and the God of Mischief – is a representation of this archetype. Loki is the epitome of "shaking stuff up". So, basically, chapter name is dedicated to Loki. Cheers!
> 
> PLEASE READ: Do NOT read this while eating or drinking (just in case).

Sakura knocks on the door to 10A. It's past nine and she hopes that they have leftover dinner because she can't even think about cooking right now.

Sasuke opens the door with a forced smile.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" Sasuke quickly defends. "I have a surprise for you."

He moves aside to let her in. A little suspicious, because he said _surprise_ but it doesn't feel like a _good surprise_ , Sakura carefully steps inside.

A man with cropped black hair, black eyes, and palest skin possible without being an albino, is sitting at the couch. He's holding a mug. There's a suitcase near his legs.

"Sai?" Sakura pauses and stares.

Sai smiles, the same blank smile that used to freak her out. "Sakura."

He gets to his feet, keeps the mug on the coffee table, and strides forward to envelop her in a hug. Sakura sees Itachi scowling at them from his position at his desk.

"What's happening?" Sakura asks, a nervous laughter bubbling from her throat.

Sai pulls back, sporting a wider smile. "I was waiting for you outside your apartment door when your neighbours found me and offered me to come inside."

"Sasuke offered you," Itachi corrects him. "He's very neighbourly."

Sakura ignores the jibe. "Okay. But what were you doing outside my apartment?"

"I told you already, I was waiting for you."

She blinks. "I got that. Why were you waiting for me?"

He frowns in confusion. "Because you weren't home."

"Sai, honey, you didn't tell me that you were planning to visit. We spoke last week, and you didn't mention this."

Sai hitches on a bright face. "Surprise!"

"Who is this guy?" Itachi glares.

"He said he's a friend," Sasuke reminds him pointedly.

"And an ex-lover," Sai adds thoughtfully.

Sasuke and Itachi both look at her incredulously. Sai doesn't see their expressions.

"Right," Sakura says awkwardly. "Sai, we are not ex- _lovers_ ," she says patiently.

"But we used to have sex."

She gulps, her face flushing red. "Why don't we go over to my place? Since I'm home now!"

"Wait," Itachi stops them immediately. "Your ex-lover is going to be staying with you?"

Sakura glances at the suitcase again. "Looks like it."

"Sasuke," Itachi's voice becomes smooth and commanding. "Sakura is clearly tired from her shift at the hospital. Why don't you, as a good neighbour, offer her refreshment? I'm sure the lovers won't mind catching up in our apartment."

Sakura glares at him. "I think Sai would be more comfortable at my place."

"I don't care," Sai says. "I don't really know them that well, so their opinion of me does not matter to me."

"Excellent," Itachi smiles sweetly. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke hovers near the breakfast bar. "Er … would you guys like something to drink?"

"I'm already having tea," Sai reminds them happily and picks up his mug again. "Sakura?"

Sakura is hungry. If Itachi wants to be a jerk, then she should at least get food out of it. Even though that was the actual plan, anyway, before Sai barrelled in her apartment building.

"You have any food?" she sighs.

"I have pizza," Sasuke offers. "Do you want me to heat it up?"

"I can do it," Sakura says.

She goes to Itachi's desk under the pretence of wanting to keep her purse there.

"What are you doing?" she hisses at him lowly when she reaches.

"Getting to know your friends."

He's leaning against the desk with his hands crossed over his chest. Sakura has to crane her neck a little to get in his face.

"Don't act innocent," she calls out his bullshit.

Itachi moves his face even closer and narrows his eyes. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"What you always do. Making my life difficult. Annoying me. Getting under my skin."

"I get under your skin?"

"No shit, genius." She frowns. "Listen, Sai isn't … he's a surgeon, too, but he has Asperger's syndrome, okay? So just – be nice."

"You dated him."

"I wouldn't … it wasn't like that."

He frowns back. This close, his eyes are startlingly clear. "Don't tell me you had friends-with-benefits going on with a man with Asperger's syndrome."

"No!" she hisses. She glances quickly at the other two men. For a second, Sasuke and Sai appear to be more like brothers than Sasuke and Itachi ever did. Sasuke has joined Sai on the couch now, and is trying to make small talk. Sakura turns back to Itachi. "We did _date_ , but it was never serious."

"He's going to be staying with you," Itachi reminds her unnecessarily.

"Yeah, so?"

"So are you saying that you won't _date_ him again?"

Sakura stares at the man in front of her. She has already acknowledged that she might be harbouring a crush on him – for reasons that she honestly can't seem to remember currently. Sometimes, Itachi really does act like a child.

"Of course, not," she says. "Itachi, I have a two bedroom apartment. If Sai needs to stay for a few days, he is welcome to take the other room. And I don't see why you're having a problem with this."

Sakura thinks that Itachi might be blushing slightly, but the lights are dim so she can't be sure. Also, there's no reason for him to blush, anyway.

"I simply don't look forward to extending neighbourly courtesies to yet another person. You've been more than a handful."

She rolls her eyes. "Thanks," she says dryly. "Sai is not that bad. I bet you'll like him."

* * *

He doesn't. It could have been funny if Sakura doesn't feel so bad for both of them.

Itachi: Sakura says that you were friends during pre-med.

Sai: Yes, and ex-lovers.

Itachi: What kind of a surgeon are you?

Sai: Urologist.

Itachi: You operate on … penises?"

Sasuke: Who wants wine?

Sai: Yes, among other things.

Sakura: I need wine.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later.

Sai: You're a CEO?

Itachi: Yes. I run the company Uchiha Corp.

Sai: You deliver stuff?

Itachi: Essentially, yes.

Sai: That doesn't sound like an interesting thing to do. Why would you want to be a mailman-upgrade?

Itachi: I don't want to be "mailman upgrade". I run a company that revolves around courier.

Sai: That is what I said.

Sasuke: More wine?

Sakura: Yes, please.

* * *

Twenty minutes later.

Sasuke: What are you doing in the city? Did you take time off from work?

Sai: Yes. I haven't taken a vacation in two years. My Attendant forced me. She said that I will get assigned to Trauma Centre if I return before three weeks' time. I don't want to work in Trauma.

Sasuke: Oh. So you'll be staying here for three weeks?

Sai: Yes. Sakura and I have shared a bed for months. I'm sure we can share an apartment for a short time.

Sasuke: Right. We'll be happy to have you.

Sai: That's perfect. Maybe you and I can go for coffee sometime.

Sasuke: Oh. Sure. I guess we can hang out.

Sai: No. I mean to say that we can date for the period that I'm here.

Sasuke: I don't date men.

Sai: That's rather surprising. I pegged you as gay as soon as I saw you. I'm a bisexual myself. Are you sure that you won't change your mind once we have sex?

Itachi: Wine with rum?

Sakura: And vodka.

* * *

The next morning of Sai's arrival finds Itachi and Sasuke in her apartment at 7.15, preparing three mugs of coffee.

Sakura takes a seat at the table. Sai's bedroom door opens and he comes out wearing only sleep pants and no shirt. He takes a seat beside her, offering them a general "good morning".

"Aren't you feeling cold?" Sakura frowns.

Sai shrugs. "The weather here is much better than in Kiri. I showed you the snowfall on video call, remember?"

"Sorry, Sai," Sasuke interrupts, sliding Sakura's mug across the table to her. "We didn't know you'd be up."

"It's alright," Sai smiles. "I'm going to be home today. I'll make it later."

"Okay, good, because I need to go into work," Sakura says with relief. "Unless, you want to come with me?"

Sai hmms thoughtfully. "That could work. I can speak with your Chief and get a temporary permit."

"Aren't you on vacation?" Itachi points out.

"Well, yes. But my Attendant didn't say that I couldn't work anywhere else. She only said that I'm not allowed in _that_ hospital."

"Don't you _want_ a vacation?" Sasuke asks.

"It doesn't matter to me," Sai says dismissively. "I have only one hobby. I'm okay with working as much as is required."

"You are not required to work right now," Itachi says.

"I enjoy it," Sai shrugs as if that settles the matter.

It does, actually. At least, for Sakura. And perhaps for Itachi as well, because his lips thin and he doesn't question it further.

"Let's see what we can do," Sakura says encouragingly. It would be kind of fun to work with Sai, she thinks. Sai is an amazing surgeon, and it was a real shame that they didn't receive their internships in the same hospital.

"I'll go get ready," he replies, a genuine smile gracing his face.

" _Can_ you take anyone to work?" Itachi asks her as soon as Sai disappears in his room.

"He's a surgeon. All the hospitals have the right to provide temporary permits for the service of any staff."

"And if they're not a staff member?"

"Then, no. Why would any non-staff want to come, anyway?"

"Just curious."

A stretch of silence.

"Why did you guys date, again?"

Sakura rolls her eyes. Itachi has already asked her this three times since Sai's arrival. She hasn't answered him on any of those times.

"Don't you have work?" she asks instead.

"Deflection, again," Itachi narrows his eyes.

"Was it?" she asks innocently with wide eyes.

"Itachi," Sasuke interrupts. "We need to leave. There's a meeting to prepare for."

Itachi shoots her another glare before they both finish their coffees and leave.

* * *

Dr. Tsunade tells Sai that she'd be happy to have him, more so when Sai says that he doesn't expect to be paid. Although, it requires paperwork and that will take two working days. Sai decides to go sightseeing.

* * *

In the evening, Sakura returns to her apartment and Sai is nowhere to be seen. She quickly calls him on his phone, wondering whether he is doing okay or she needs to rescue him or _something_ , but then Sai answers the phone and says that he is hanging out with Sasuke and his friends.

Groaning loudly, Sakura takes a shower first and changes into comfortable clothing.

Sai _is_ hanging out with Sasuke and his friends. Temari, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Naruto are gathered along with Itachi and Sasuke. There are many boxes of Chinese food laid out on the coffee table and cans of beer. Sakura greets them all and takes a seat beside Naruto on the floor. He passes her a serving of noodles.

"Your friend is just telling us some of his surgical escapades," Naruto grins at her.

Sakura tunes into Sai's voice.

"…group of interns but none of them could pinpoint the cause of the swelling. Naturally, they hit the books. Meanwhile, I suggested taking a CT scan to examine the innards. It's basic protocol. The patient history did not show anything unusual, but that was hardly surprising. The first rule as a doctor is to know that everybody lies.

"When the scans came up, we found there was a fish inside."

Almost everyone chokes and spits out their food, except Sakura, who doesn't understand what the big deal is about.

Then Sasuke croaks out, "There was a fish in his penis?"

And Sakura spits out her beer.

"Yes," Sai drones in his typical flat tone. "The patient had recently been near Amazon but did not mention it because he wanted to hide it from his wife."

"How can … there be a _fish_ in … there?" Hinata asks, her face flaring up with red.

"This type of fish swims up the stream of urine and enters the urethra."

With that, everyone pushes their cans of beers away, wearing identical sickened expressions.

"The surgery was successful," Sai continues on, either not registering the collective revolt of the room, or ignoring it for the sake of his story. "The fish was quite a big one, I must say, and caused a great deal of pain to the patient."

"I can imagine," Naruto winces.

"Why don't we talk about something else?" Sasuke suggests bracingly. "Hinata, how are the wedding preparations coming along?"

Hinata catches on to the topic with visible relief. "Good! Which reminds me, Itachi, I need to discuss points with you."

"Go ahead."

"Band?"

"Call Jiraiya."

"Theme?"

"Winter – silver and pale blue decorations."

"Bridesmaid dresses?"

"Red – but not too bright. Perhaps wine color. We need the bride to stand out the most."

"Black tux for Shika?"

"Let's go with a blue tux."

"Done. I called Temari's father today regarding the tent. He said he will give me the contractor's number by tomorrow. When do you think we can drive down to Suna and take a look at the location?"

"How about next weekend? Will you be able to close your shop for it, though?"

Hinata nods. "That shouldn't be a problem."

"Perfect. I'll put it in my schedule. We can take my car."

"Also, we should check out the arrangements for the guests' overnight stay."

"Agreed. Let's narrow it down to two or three places through online research, and we can stay the weekend in Suna to give ourselves enough time to finalize the details."

"Next is the invitation. I have a friend who can give us a good deal on them."

"Design and print both?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Why don't we set up a meeting on Tuesday evening with your friend?"

"Sure. I'll fix it up."

Silence.

"I knew there was a reason why we picked these two," Temari comments with a smirk. "Itachi, tell me, what should Shika and I do?"

He doesn't miss a beat. "Show up at the venue on 23rd December."

The room laughs, except Itachi, who clearly did not mean it as a joke.

"You will be very efficient in your own wedding plans," Sai observes, looking straight at Itachi.

Sasuke snickers. "I'll say."

"I can now see your competency as a CEO," Sai continues thoughtfully. "You're very quick with your decisions."

"I'm aware."

Sakura rolls her eyes and exchanges an amused smirk with Sasuke.

"If you weren't straight, I think I would have asked you out."

"No, thank you. And you already asked my brother out just last night."

Naruto makes a sudden noise as Sasuke blushes. "He _what_?"

Sai elaborates, not understanding the rhetorical tone of Naruto's question. "I asked out Sasuke last night, but he said that he doesn't date men."

Naruto is staring at Sasuke, who is fiddling with his can of beer, eyes not meeting anyone's.

"Yeah, he doesn't," Naruto agrees in a strange voice.

"To be honest, though," Sai says, "you are more of my type than Sasuke is."

"Hang on," Sasuke suddenly snaps his neck up. "You can't go around asking everyone out, Sai."

"Technically, I can," Sai disagrees smoothly. "I think you mean to say that people might draw unpleasant conclusions about me if I do it."

"Let's go with that," Sasuke forces a smile.

"You haven't asked out Hinata, yet," Temari points out, ever the mischief-maker in such situations. Sakura has honestly begun to think that without Temari, life would be too static.

"She's too beautiful for my taste," Sai says instantly, as if he truly has considered Hinata as a viable dating candidate. "I cannot possibly stay in her company and not feel inferior."

Hinata blushes up a storm. "You're too sweet."

"No," Sai says displeasingly. "I'm not. I'm only being truthful. For example, dating Sakura was completely possible because she isn't exactly what I'd call 'beautiful'. She's pretty at best."

"Why did you date her, then?" Itachi scowls at him. "You keep saying that you are ex-lovers, but it doesn't sound as though you felt much for her at all."

"Itachi –" Sakura interrupts.

"Actually," Sai replies, ignoring her. "As I said earlier that Naruto is more of my type, and he is: tall, blonde, blue eyes, charming smile, and a kind personality. I'm utterly fascinated with these features. Sakura, on the other hand, is a semi-blonde person with green eyes, and not as tall. She can be rather short-tempered when hungry or tired. It's not like she was my type, but more that I was hers."

Sakura avoids everyone's gazes, even as she feels the weight of them. "It's not … that's not …"

"Sakura has a type?" Temari smirks wider. "Do tell."

"I realised it later," Sai answers. Sakura keeps reminding herself that it isn't Sai's fault for not knowing when to shut up. "The only inferences that I could draw between myself and Utakata were –"

"Who's that?" Sasuke asks curiously.

"The other ex-lover," Sai explains. "Between myself and him, I observed that we are both tall, with pale skin, dark hair, dark eyes, and an exceptional brain. Moreover, I believe that my AS and his voluntary social isolation also played a role. The difference is that I stayed within the programme and became a surgeon, but Utakata left in his second year."

Sakura's heart is hammering inside her chest cavity. She feels frozen to the spot. The weight of everyone's stares shift from hers towards Itachi, and she _knows_ it even if she doesn't witness it.

"Is that why Sakura broke-up with Utakata?" Hinata asks in the silence. Sakura understands for what it is – an attempt to drive the attention away from the sudden tension between her and Itachi, who is sitting directly across from her.

"Yes," Sai replies innocently. "He said he wanted to travel the world. I did not understand it, to be honest. Utakata is an extremely talented man. He would have made a great surgeon had he stayed within the programme. Sakura told me that some people are not meant to live within four walls, that they're meant to fly. Free-spirited, she called him."

It's becoming harder and harder for her to breathe. She knows that Itachi is most probably remembering their conversation from Sasuke's birthday, the one where he admitted his desire to travel.

In fact, Uncle Obito had said those words to her when Utakata left. She'd merely parroted them to Sai, because she didn't understand it fully at that time. She supposed using Uncle Obito's explanation was better than having none at all.

Moreover, Sakura herself had not realised until this moment that she has a "type", as Sai called it.

_Tall, pale skin, dark hair, dark eyes, exceptional brain._

Somehow, though, Sakura knows that it is not what attracted her to Itachi, even if it must have played a role. She herself doesn't know what exactly about Itachi attracted him to her, except that she always noticed the way his smirk is prettily crooked, his hair is ramrod straight, the way his eyes light up with amusement when he's particularly pleased, the way his fitted shirts slide across his skin whenever he moves. Or the way his eyes hold hers in a steady gaze that makes her want to spill all her secrets. Even his frustration and anger is fascinating – the way he seems to come alive, like an exposed live wire, as though he's bursting through his very skin.

"Sai," Sakura forces exasperation in her voice as she finally faces the others. "Just because you and Utakata had some similar characteristics does not mean it's my type." She forces a roll of her eyes. "I never got around to dating much, did I? It's just a coincidence. Besides, you described physical features and don't you think it takes more than that to date someone?"

No one seems to be buying it.

"I suppose," Sai concedes. "You are a sapiosexual, though, I believe."

"Who isn't!" she laughs nervously. "Being smart is obviously a plus point!"

Sai nods seriously. "True."

"I'm really tired," Sakura announces and gets to her feet quickly. "Long day. So I'm calling it a night."

"I'll come with you," Sai stands, too. "Thank you for the dinner. I enjoyed myself."

The others exchange a quick look between themselves, and then Sasuke replies. "We did, too, Sai. It's been great getting to know you."

"Yeah, totally," Naruto nods and grins genuinely. Sakura exhales with relief. She wants them to like Sai despite his eccentricity and unintentional penchant for stirring up trouble.

Still avoiding Itachi's gaze, Sakura drags Sai behind her all the way to her apartment.

* * *

Sakura makes sure that she avoids Itachi – and by extension, Sasuke – for the next two days. She brings Sai with her into work on the third day. They make a quick stop at the Chief's office for his paperwork and permit.

Sai is told to tag along with the respective department and Sakura goes to Dr. Orochimaru as per usual. She tells Sai to meet her at the cafeteria for the lunch break and that she'll introduce him to some of her work friends.

Her morning passes tediously. Maybe time seems to have slowed down because Sakura hasn't stopped torturing herself over Sai's words from that night at 10A. She hasn't spoken with any of them since then. She feels so sure that she must have given away _something_ and now they all know that she likes Itachi in a romantic way. The thought of _Itachi_ knowing that she likes him churns her stomach and throws her heart hammering away in a wild beat.

It's almost a relief when she's standing with Dr. Orochimaru for the incoming ambulance outside the Emergency Entrance.

The doors open and Sakura finds the EMT with her hand inside the patient's chest.

There's a momentary pause of surprise before Dr. Orochimaru begins to order everyone around and takes complete charge. Sakura assists him when they start wheeling the man and the EMT on the stretcher towards one of the Trauma Rooms.

As the EMT explains why her hand is inside the patient's chest – Dr. Orochimaru seems to be losing his mind over the sheer stupidity of it, Sakura hurries around them. The patient's wife bursts inside the room at one point and Dr. Orochimaru is shouting at Sakura to get her out when her words register in Sakura's mind and she comes to a complete stop.

"What did you say? Can you please repeat that?"

"Dr. Haruno," Dr. Orochimaru snaps. "This is hardly the time -!"

The wife is crying so loudly that she's barely coherent. But Sakura is _sure_ she heard it right.

"He was playing around … with the stupid … he's such kid at times! Why can't he _ever_ think about the consequences … it's the stupid bazooka –"

"Mrs. Kim," Sakura calls loudly and firmly. "Was there any explosion?"

The entire Trauma Room comes to a standstill.

The wife sniffs. "What? No, of course not! If there was one, he would be in pieces right now, wouldn't he?"

"I need you to step out," Sakura starts to push her.

"No, I need –"

" _Right now_ ," Sakura snaps.

"Everyone," Dr. Orochimaru calls out steadily, calmly. "Don't make sudden movements. And don't panic. Nurse, alert the Chief of the situation. Tell her to call in the bomb squad."

* * *

Sakura can't believe this. She wonders if this is better or worse than operating with a gun pointed at her. She honestly can't say anymore.

Sakura is standing with her hand on the unexploded bazooka in Mr. Kim's chest. Even as she's cursing herself for doing such a stupid thing, she is trying to figure out what the hell happened. All she knows is that the EMT started panicking when the room was asked to be cleared; Dr. Orochimaru refused to leave and Sakura stayed back to assist. And then the EMT panicked to the point of pulling her hand off the bazooka and Sakura took her place as if on instinct.

If Sakura keeps putting herself in suicidal positions on _instinct_ , she needs some serious therapy.

She supposes that the leader of the bomb squad is kind of cute. He's also very calm, encouraging, and probably in his early thirties. For a hysterical moment, she wonders if she should ask him out on a date if they both survive this.

Sakura feels as though she is no longer in her body. It helps. If she is able to convince herself that her body is not in immediate danger, then she can focus on staying utterly still as ordered by the cute bomb squad leader.

She doesn't know whether it takes a long time or a short time for them to contain the explosive, to remove her from the equation, because she is not in her body. Time is suspended. All she knows is that the cute guy is now telling her and Dr. Orochimaru to leave the room quickly. Dr. Orochimaru was not really needed to be present in the first place, but her Attendant had refused to leave her alone.

The patient ends up losing his life. There was too much damage and it couldn't be controlled in time because they had to make sure the explosive is contained before they can do much.

When Sakura exits the Trauma Room, she spots the Chief waiting at the very front of the large crowd that is made up of hospital staff, reporters, and police. Sakura feels a rush of déjà vu. She strides towards the Chief. After Dr. Orochimaru, the Chief is usually the person that Sakura seeks out.

The entire Trauma Centre has been emptied out, and the upper two floors _just in case_. Sakura reaches Dr. Tsunade and the woman steps forward. Her hazel eyes, as always, X-ray her and even though Sakura feels like she can't breathe, she straightens her spine as if she were a soldier reporting to her Commanding Officer.

Sakura would hate it if Dr. Tsunade sees her in any form of weakness.

She's given the next few days off. Sakura immediately protests. Dr. Tsunade merely holds up one finger and Sakura shuts up. She repeats that Sakura is to take the next few days off, no discussion.

Sakura thinks about looking for Sai or Ino. But she just feels so _tired_. _Who knew standing at one place can be exhausting?_ Even as she thinks this, her mind is supplying her the necessary counter-argument as if on auto-pilot, as if on reflex: the after-effects of adrenalin is hardly new to her –

She walks along the gathered crowd for a bit, ignoring the reporters, the EMT who rushes behind her with a blanket, or the random staff members. To her, they feel part of the background, nothing to fuss over, no one to really address.

And then she sees Sasuke and Naruto and Itachi and Kakashi and Uncle Obito. Sai and Ino are with them. Even as she watches them all rush past the barricades, she's focused on Itachi and his steady gaze, and thinks that the cute bomb squad leader doesn't even hold a candle to this man.

* * *

Sakura doesn't hide in her room this time. After giving her statement to the police and getting her fingers crushed again by Kakashi and Uncle Obito, they gather at her apartment and prepare dinner. Hinata, Temari, and Shikamaru join them soon. It's a squeeze, but no one really complains.

"Sai," Kakashi says as they eat, "would you be a lamb and sleep on the couch so that Obi and I can take the bedroom?"

"Dad, there's no need –"

"I did not ask you," Kakashi says in the tone that she knows shouldn't be questioned. She promptly shuts up. "Sai?"

"Of course," he agrees. "Or I can share Sakura's room with her."

"Not under my watch, son," Kakashi continues in the same voice. Sai promptly shuts up.

Sakura thinks that it's a fairly normal dinner, albeit a little tense. The surprising development seems to be Sai and Ino's obvious mutual attraction. If Sakura didn't know better, she would have pegged it as 'love at first sight'. If she believed in such a thing.

Hinata, Temari, Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, and Itachi bid good night soon after dinner. Kakashi and Uncle Obito retreat to the other bedroom. Sai takes Ino out for a walk. Sakura lays down on her bed, staring listlessly at the ceiling. She finds it impossible to sleep. Every time she closes her eyes, all she can see is her hand inside the man's chest and Dr. Orochimaru's terrified gaze.

Sakura has seen and touched a human body's innards hundreds of times in her life. Her job description takes care of that. She has also removed strange non-living and living objects from a human body over the course of her studies and consequent career. None of those objects has been a live bazooka, though. She tries to see the humour in the situation. How many surgeons can say that they've held an exploding weapon in their hands inside a chest cavity and survived to tell the tale? The entire situation seems so absurd.

So Sakura tries to focus on the ridicule because if she doesn't, she's afraid that she might start to lose her mind.

At one point, she hears Sai entering the apartment and shutting the door behind him. She hears him shuffle a little, his feet pitter-pattering just outside her bedroom, and she feels better. Hearing signs of life seems to do wonders on her.

He eventually does sleep. The languid noises stop.

She stays awake, and refocuses her attention on the absurdity of her day.

Her phone beeps at 2.04 AM. **Come outside.**


	12. Bedtime Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name is dedicated to the feeling of late-night conversations, when the world seems to have stopped in its axis, and it is as though you are suspended in time.

Itachi is standing outside the elevator in a T-shirt and comfortable pants underneath a long coat. His hair is in a ponytail, disappearing inside the collar. Sakura hasn’t bothered with dressing up, either, merely shrugging on a thick jacket over her shirt and pants.

His face is unreadable.

Feeling tense and strung out, Sakura joins him silently. He presses the button for the elevator and they make their way out of the apartment building.

Itachi starts to walk. He isn’t intending for a car ride clearly. Sakura keeps up with his steps, and neither of the two utter a word. The night is considerably cold. She feels glad that they’re at least walking; it warms her up after two blocks. The streets are empty except for the occasional car. They eventually pass a group of drunk people, all stepping out of an alley. Sakura and Itachi manoeuvre through them without trouble. She wonders whether Itachi knows where the hell they’re headed because she doesn’t. Maybe he’s strolling without a set direction.

After half an hour of apprehensive quietness, he suddenly rounds on her, stopping her in her path. They’re outside a closed store, on the pavement, under one of the streetlights.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he spits out angrily. “I can’t believe you’d do something so _stupid_!”

Sakura swallows. Under the yellow light, he looks quite dangerous. His whole body is stiff, as though he’s trying hard to contain himself from doing something rather aggressive.

Sakura thinks that maybe she should be scared, but she isn’t. This is Itachi. He just spent over half an hour trying to vent his energy so that he’d be able to get coherent words out. So she stays silent. She isn’t sure what to say, anyway.

“Did you even stop to think what would happen?” he continues in a rage. “Did you think that it would be a _brilliant fucking idea to hold a fucking bomb in your hand?_ Are you out of your fucking _mind_?”

The last one stings her.

“I get that you haven’t been much ‘around people’ and that you haven’t had many friends in your life, but I don’t think that it should be so difficult to gather on your own that when someone says ‘bomb’, you run _away_ from it. This is the same shit you did with that fucking lunatic with a _gun_! Guess what, Sakura? When someone says ‘Stop or I’ll shoot’, you _stop_! You don’t sit there like a fucking moron and let him _shoot_ you!”

Sakura thinks that he’s toeing the line closely.

“Do you know what you put Kakashi and Obito through? You don’t because you were hiding in your room while Sasuke and I kept them both company, assuring them that their daughter is safe and that’s what matters. That she’s not an idiotic moron to do something like that! That she knows better than that! That they’re not going to lose you! And look at what you do! Great job proving me wrong. Because clearly, you’re so fucking _selfish_ that you didn’t even _think_ what losing you would do to the others around you! Did you really want to be a hero that badly? That you’d just -!” He groans in frustration, rolling his head. “Are you really that stupid!”

Sakura glares at him even as his words hurt her. What truly pisses her off is the way Itachi is looking at her now, as though he honestly believes that she’s lost her mind.

Letting the rage course through her body, she spins on her feet and starts to walk away from him. She’s afraid that if she stays and opens her mouth, she’ll probably either just scream at him or cry. She doesn’t feel like doing either so she takes the third option. Out of sight, out of mind is her only hope in hand.

“Are you-!” she hears him call out angrily. He isn’t following her, though, and she feels like she can breathe again, albeit shakily. “Really? You’re just going to walk away?”

She doesn’t answer. She has a fair idea of the way he’d led her. Honestly, though, that’s the last thing on her mind. All she cares about is going as far away from him as possible, from _everyone_ , and just be. She doesn’t need this crap.

When she comes across the drunken group from before, she barrels past them without a thought. It takes her a bit of time before she realises that _now_ someone is following her. She turns around.

It’s a man, burly and large, smiling at her creepily. She feels _this_ close to screaming out in frustration. This is literally the last thing she needs right now. Sakura stomps up to him just as Itachi rounds the corner from the other side. He pauses in surprise for a second and then rushes towards her.

Sakura is in the man’s personal space by then. “What?” she snarls.

Itachi tugs on her arm. “Sakura, what the hell –”

Sakura immediately shrugs off his hand. “No, let’s see what this gentleman wants, huh? You here to trouble me, mister? Do you want me to take my clothes off to get you started?”

“ _Sakura_ ,” Itachi hisses out, trying to hold both her arms this time. Sakura pushes him away again.

“That would help,” the man answers her, smirking. “I’m rather curious; does the carpet match the drapes?”

Itachi’s hands disappear. He bodily pushes her away from the man to take her place instead. “Watch your fucking mouth.”

Sakura is beyond irritated and pissed. “I don’t need you to be my knight in shining armour, Itachi!”

Itachi rounds on her. “Of course, you don’t! Why would a knight in shining armour need a knight in shining armour, right?”

“What? I’m not a knight in shining fucking armour!”

“ _Really?_ ” he says in a condescending tone. “Because that literally feels like your motto in life. Wherever there’s trouble, there you are, ready to be on the suicide mission for the greater good of humankind!”

“How dare you-! You, you asshole!”

“I’m sorry,” the man interrupts loudly, “is this not a good time?”

They both spin angrily to him.

“Look here,” Sakura starts in a threatening voice, “I may not look like it, but my father had me take defence classes when I hit puberty. That, with my combined knowledge of being a doctor, if I get my hands on you – _anywhere on your dirty, disgusting body –”_

“Just get away, man,” Itachi interrupts loudly.

The man stares between the two of them. “You two are crazy.”

And then he leaves.

Itachi lets out a short groan. “What am I going to do with you? This is exactly what I meant! When you face a danger, you’re supposed to be walking away! Do you need me to teach you this stuff, because trust me, I’m starting to feel like I might have to.”

“Shut up,” Sakura growls. “Just shut up.”

“No,” Itachi says stubbornly. “Clearly, this is something you haven’t gotten in your stupid brain –”

“Oh my god, I know it was stupid, okay?” Sakura yells, the words bursting from her unbridled. “Do you honestly believe that I _want_ to die? I know what I did, Itachi! I’ve been torturing myself over it every single day.”

His mouth snaps shut.

She continues. “I know what I put my fathers through! I know that they must have been worried sick. I know that they were scared. I don’t need you telling me that. Do you know how stupid I felt after it? I know the reasonable thing to do would have been to stop operating! To run away from a fucking bomb! I _know_ that. I don’t know what happened in that moment. All I could think was _I have to do this_. That’s it. That’s all I knew, and that’s what I did.

“I’ve been doing many stupid things lately. Do you think I don’t know that? But have you ever stopped to think how fucking terrified _I_ was? How scared I was to be standing in front of a fucking gun or holding a live fucking bomb in my hand! I felt like I could have died just from that fear alone. Every time I close my eyes, it’s like I’m right there, but then I think about Kakashi and Uncle Obito and you and I just feel better.

“I keep reminding myself that the worst _didn’t_ happen. That every time I hang out with you and Sasuke or even Naruto or the others, or talk with Kakashi and Uncle Obito, how grateful I am to be still doing it. I know that I’m not some stupid hero. And the thing is, I don’t want to be one! I keep finding myself in these situations and I just go with instinct, I don’t _think_ , I just do, and it’s so fucking stupid and I’m just so terrified but that’s how it is. That’s just how it is and I just have to roll with it. _I don’t want to be a hero_.”

Her breathing is ragged and her voice cracks throughout. She clears her throat but there’s a heavy lump that doesn’t allow for it. And then her eyes finally spill over.

Itachi immediately takes a step forward. She steps back and holds up her hand.

“Don’t,” she chokes out, even as tears flow down her cheeks. She can’t believe that she’s actually crying. “Just don’t.”

Even this feels absurd to her. Standing on the roadside with Itachi in the middle of the night, and having a yelling match that she clearly just lost.

Itachi glares back. “You’re upset. Let me just hug you, for fuck’s sake.”

It sounds sweet but she’s still pretty mad at him. “I don’t need you to hug me. You don’t have to do that.”

And then he’s furious again. “I know that I don’t have to!” he snaps. “I’m _sick_ of doing things that I _have_ to, okay? So stop being a baby.”

“I’m being a baby?” she asks with disbelief. “You’re the one who brought me out late at night just to yell at me!”

“What was I supposed to do?” he retorts. “Who knew what you would have done by morning! Maybe found another dangerous situation and gotten yourself involved!”

“Are you-! Are you even listening to yourself? I told you that I’m not fucking suicidal. So can you stop with that already?”

“Sure, once you prove it to me. Go on, find a dangerous situation and show me that you can walk away.”

“This is stupid,” she declares, throwing her hands in the air. “This is _so stupid_.”

Itachi laughs humourlessly. “Our definitions of stupid are very different.”

“Can you stop sounding so arrogant for once in your life?” she shoots back. “I’ve already agreed that what I did was stupid. This is getting redundant.”

“What do you want me to do?” he demands a little hysterically. “Sakura, every time you’ve put yourself in danger, all that I’ve been capable of doing is wait and watch, and hope that you’ll come out of it without hurting yourself too much.” He doesn’t sound angry anymore. He sounds defeated. “But yelling at you in the middle of the night is one thing that I _can_ do. I can explain exactly where you went wrong, how you went wrong, and what you should be doing when you’re faced with a life-threatening situation. I’m not a doctor, Sakura. If something happens to you, I can’t sew you back. I’ll probably have to find someone to do it for me, but that’s the point. I wouldn’t be doing anything significant. And I’m just so sick of not being able to do what I want.”

Sakura has stopped crying, mostly because she thinks that Itachi is on the verge to do so himself. She’s never heard him sound so utterly resigned and genuinely terrified before in her life. He’s always so sure of things, quick at everything, knows what to do in an instant. Hearing him sound so lost sobers her up and all she wants to do is give him a hug.

“What do you want to do, Itachi?” she asks instead, probing at him softly.

He swallows. “I want to make sure that you stay safe.”

“I will,” she promises in an instant, not thinking whether she can actually keep it or not. She feels as though she’d promise him anything in the world if he asks her like that.

“And even if you don’t, even if you face life-and-death again, and act foolishly because you probably will, you’ll come out of it alive, no matter what.”

“Deal.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

“And I want to give you a hug,” he says lowly, eyes serious and unflinching. “Because I upset you, and because I’m glad that we are talking, and because I’m not planning your funeral currently.”

She cracks a sad smile and dutifully throws her arms around his waist. He holds back tightly, resting his chin over the top of her head. He smells like mint soap.

“I’m sorry, too,” she says into his collar. “For scaring you.”

“You’ve done more than that, but let’s start with small things.”

She hits him in the back. “You’re impossible.”

“Says the hypocrite.”

“Says the doctor who held a bomb and still thinks that between you and that, _you’re_ impossible,” she corrects him.

“Touché,” he says dryly. “Am I to be expecting bomb jokes from you hereon?”

“You bet your ass.”

“I’d rather not.”

She pulls back her head to look him in the face. “Feed me ice cream.”

He rolls his eyes at her, and the familiarity of it makes a rush of affection course through her for him. “I hardly doubt there are any ice cream parlours open right now.”

“Fine. Let’s walk back home, grab a bottle of wine, and drink on the roof.”

He narrows his eyes. “Are you alright?”

“I just want to celebrate,” she says patiently. “For going through this day without killing you.”

“Ha ha,” he mutters flatly. Then he sighs. “Whatever. Fine.”

* * *

As they sit on the roof with one of Itachi’s bottles of wine, Sakura admits to herself that the only reason for this is probably because she’s scared that when her eyes close, she might get transported back to the afternoon, as she stands still in the Trauma Room with Dr. Orochimaru and the bomb squad leader.

But that isn’t completely true. She glances at Itachi, sitting beside her on the dusty floor with his back against the wall, and thinks that she simply isn’t ready for the night to end yet.

“…think it will take two more weeks to be fully functional,” Itachi is telling her. “The beta turned out to be good, more than good, in fact. Sasuke is teaching me coding in our free time so I’d be better versed in the software development. It seems pretty straightforward.”

She takes a gulp from the bottle directly and passes it to him. They’ve finished half of it between the two of them.

“Yeah, way to nerd it up even more,” she mutters.

“Says the nerd,” he retorts instantly, expectedly. “Have you never been interested in anything other than medicine?”

“Not really,” she admits. “I mean, I guess I would have taken interest, but when Kakashi told me that I’d be a good doctor, I kind of forgot about everything else.”

“He’s been a huge influence on you,” he remarks.

“Obviously. He’s my father. Him and Uncle Obi both.”

They share companionable silence as they pass the bottle between them. And then Sakura is unable to hold it in any longer.

“Itachi,” she begins carefully. “You said earlier that you’re sick of doing things because you have to.” He stiffens slightly. “What all did you mean by that?”

He shrugs – the movement jerky. “Nothing much.”

“Don’t bullshit me.”

He sighs, staring at the floor. “Sakura, I told you already that, growing up, this is not what I had pictured my life to be. I seem to be doing things because I have to, more often than not. My entire life has been nothing but an accumulation of following orders set by others around me. Even when I moved out of my parents’ home and set out for college, it still felt like the same thing. I was taught that we live in a society wherein individuals have a role to play and abiding by them is of utmost importance.

“I get it. I lived by it. I _live_ by it. Sometimes, though, I find myself questioning what the hell am I even doing. It’s completely random. I might be eating dinner with my team, and I’ll look around, and wonder what’s happening. How I’m sitting there and they’re calling me _Boss_ and sharing their stories with me. And I think _what’s the point?_ What’s the point of abiding by all these rules, when it wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things? I feel like I’m being their _Boss_ because I have to. I feel like I’m making friends because I have to. I feel like I’m greeting people because I have to.”

This is what existential crisis looks like, Sakura thinks. Itachi is still staring intently at the floor, frowning heavily, as if it holds the answer to all his questions.

“Okay,” Sakura drags out uncertainly. “And you think traveling is something that you want to do?”

He takes a few moments to answer. “Definitely.”

“Why is that? What would be the point of that, either?”

“Sakura,” he suddenly faces her. “Did you know that you and I are made up of star stuff?”

She does, actually. She remembers when she learned about cells, and then how cells are made up of the cell membrane, the nucleus, and the cytoplasm. She learned that these parts are nothing but protiens, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. These are molecules made from atoms from the periodic table. The same periodic table that details out the elements that exist in the stars, the planets, and the space, _oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, magnesium, iron_. Every living and non-living object is borne out of the stuff that first came into existence after the Big Bang.

“Yes,” she says slowly, nodding. “What does that have to do with traveling?”

“Everything that we see around us has been a part of the stars. The trees, the rain, the winds, the oceans. Us. We’ve always been a part of the Universe. I think that is beautiful. It’s worth witnessing with my own eyes. For some reason, I have this belief that if I just go out there, I might discover where I truly belong. Where I wouldn’t have to do things because the society dictates them. Where I can do things because I want to.”

“But you can do it right now,” Sakura says. “Staying where you are, doing what you’re doing. I mean, you’re the one who told me that it is possible to live by your own rules despite what the society expects from you.”

“I know what I said. Lately, I’ve found myself questioning many things in my life, though. I’ve tried for a long time to be satisfied by what I had; it isn’t working anymore. I find myself wanting more, remembering the dreams I had as a child, before I had accepted things for what they are and continued on living. Besides, I’ve reached this point because I didn’t do what I want,” he counters. “I think that erasing the canvas and starting over would mean much more.”

Sakura’s breath is caught. “What do you mean? Are you saying that you want to leave everything behind and start over somewhere else?”

“I don’t know,” he sighs. “I don’t know what to do. And it’s annoying to not know. On one hand, I feel like if I start over, things will come out differently. On the other hand, if I do that, then I lose too much.”

“I had no idea you wanted to leave,” she says gloomily.

He holds her gaze. “I’m not saying that I will.”

“But you want to.”

“Maybe,” he admits. “As I said, though, I lose too much.”

“Right. You have Sasuke and Naruto and your company. They really love you. And I’m honestly scared that they might follow you.”

He chuckles.

“Why don’t you take a … vacation?” she suggests cautiously. “Maybe you’re feeling this way because things have been overwhelming for you. I know how much it makes you uncomfortable to be in constant presence of people. And you’ve been spending almost every waking moment with someone or the other. With your company taking off, and the wedding preparations –”

“And my neighbour’s ex-lovers,” he adds.

Sakura laughs. “Shut up! Sai is a delightful person.”

He stares at her incredulously. “No offence, but I wouldn’t call him _delightful_.”

“Look who’s talking,” she says pointedly.

“I _am_ delightful.”

She rolls her eyes. “Please. You’re worse than Sai sometimes.”

“So you agree that Sai is _bad_ at least.”

“Absolutely not,” she defends. “Sai is clueless. You make it a choice.”

“Well, that’s true,” he concedes.

“But seriously,” she begins her earlier train of thought before this conversation goes down a completely different path. “There’s been a lot going on. Try and take a break.”

“It’s not that,” he confesses. “It feels like work and I’ve never been opposed to that. It’s actually been an exciting challenge. I’m just worried that maybe it’s not the challenge that I want.”

“You want a bigger challenge?” she asks uncertainly.

“Maybe,” he says, almost shyly.

She’s never witnessed this side of him before. Sure, he’s arrogant and cocky but he has never been shy about it. Sakura blinks in surprise. “So you’re not satisfied with how things are going because you feel that they’re not challenging enough for you?”

“Maybe.”

“You’re _wishing_ for a more difficult life?”

“I wouldn’t put it like that,” he defends. “But yes, essentially.”

Sakura hits him in the shoulder. Hard.

“Hey!” he snaps. “What was that for?”

“For being … _you_!” she waves the bottle of wine at him. “This whole time, I thought you were upset because you’re not getting to do what you want!”

“That is true,” he frowns.

“Yeah but like I thought you want to go traveling and you’re upset that you haven’t gotten the chance to do that.”

“That is also true.”

“But all you really want is a life with bigger problems than what you have currently!”

“I wouldn’t put it like that,” he repeats stubbornly. “Sakura, I possess superior intelligence. As do you. You’re a surgeon. Imagine that you’re stuck in the pit for years, writing prescriptions for cold medicine and putting Band-Aids on crying kids. Would you be satisfied? I believe not. You hold people’s hearts in your hands, quite literally. You’ve undertaken risky procedures because you had that faith in yourself. But what you also had were opportunities. You weren’t stuck in the pit because you had to.”

“I took efforts for that, you know,” Sakura tells him. “And you must have had so many opportunities. I don’t believe that you couldn’t take any of them.”

“I did,” he rolls his eyes. “That’s why we are where we are. But I know that we can be so much more. I’m just waiting for that right moment, that right chance to turn things around.”

“What happened to all the talk about leaving this place to become a hermit?”

“I can be a billionaire and a hermit,” he assures her. “I haven’t let go of that. I was just feeling melancholic when I said that.”

“Now who’s materialistic?” she grumbles, even as waves of relief course through her. She hadn’t realised that Itachi’s idea to leave affected her to this extent. Her chest unravels a little. “You’re an ass. I honestly thought you’d just up and leave any second.”

“You know my bank balance,” he says dryly. “You honestly think that I can go wherever I want with the money I have right now?”

“It’s not that low.”

“It’s not that high, either,” he says. “Besides, when I do go, I want to make sure that I don’t need to work any longer.”

“You sound overly cocky.”

“I don’t see the problem with that.”

“Of course not.”

He takes the bottle from her to have a sip. “Sakura. Were you honestly worried about my leaving?”

The air around them abruptly changes. Itachi’s stare is intense and steady, and she doesn’t want to look away.

“Yes,” she whispers in the quiet. “It would suck if you leave.”

“Why?”

Her heart is pounding in her chest. Suddenly, the distance between them feels less and less, and she wonders if she should slide back a few feet so that she can _breathe_.

“You’re my friend,” she answers carefully, her face not betraying anything. At least, she hopes that it doesn’t. “Of course, it would suck.”

He doesn’t say anything for a bit, and he doesn’t let go of her gaze. “Is it true, what Sai said?”

“Which part?” She’s sure that he can hear her heart by now. Maybe the entire building can.

“That you like … people, with those characteristics? That it’s your type?”

“I hadn’t thought of it until he pointed it out like that,” she admits.

“So it’s true?” he prods.

Sakura gulps. Her stomach feels funny. “I … I’m not sure.”

“You don’t sound very convincing.”

“Don’t I?” she chuckles nervously, trying to diffuse the sudden tension in the air.

He doesn’t buy it. “No. You don’t.”

“Does it matter?” she deflects. “It’s not like … like I’m interested in anyone.”

He smirks without humour. “Right.”

The silence presses on. Sakura shifts her eyes to the sky instead, and Itachi’s words ring in her mind. He sounded almost spiritual. She likes that he’s made of star stuff. It’s fitting.

Sakura has never pegged herself as a romantic. She knows how a human body works. She knows that loving someone is a mere chemical reaction. It’s one of the reasons why she was never taken by Uncle Obito’s romantic movies or books. She stopped her tea parties because she realised that the Princess was most of the times a damsel in distress, waiting for someone to rescue her. She didn’t like that idea, and she never wanted to become someone like that.

Sakura believes in science. She understands it. She worships it. She knows every part of a human body, its name, functions, and fatalities. She chose to become a cardiothoracic surgeon in particular because, like Itachi had pointed out, she holds a human heart in her hands – and she enjoys the rush that it gives her. It’s proof that the heart is nothing but an organ. All it does is pump blood through your system and throw out the bad blood. That is its only purpose – of course, it’s an important one, but at least she knows that Uncle Obito is wrong. Love doesn’t reside in hearts. It can’t. It’s impossible. She knows it because she held a heart in her hand and there was nothing romantic about it.

Itachi is trying to disprove all of it. He doesn’t even know it, obviously did not intend for it, but Sakura hates him a little for making her question everything that she’s known in her life. She hates how the mere thought of him these days squeezes her chest painfully. She hates how her body suddenly seems to come alive, as though she was sleeping this entire time, and he’s come to wake her up. Of course, that thought pisses her off even more because it sounds awfully like The Sleeping Beauty movie she’d seen as a kid and eventually came to dislike.

Sakura doesn’t want to fall in love, because it doesn’t exist. It’s an illusion that individuals fool themselves into so that they don’t have to stay alone.

There have been times, though, when Sakura has had to question that belief. When Kakashi and Uncle Obito share a single glance between them and Sakura feels as though she’s interrupting something private and sacred, even if they’re sitting in a room full of people. She grew up watching those silent exchanges. Then there’s Shikamaru and Temari – who, at first glance, wouldn’t look like much, but Temari can get Shikamaru to do anything without much effort, a considerable feat given the fact that he’s Shikamaru. In return, Temari – for all her mischief and fierceness – gets easily flustered by Shikamaru. Then there’s the way Shikamaru watches her silently, as though he can’t believe that this woman has chosen him as her life partner.

Sakura doesn’t want to believe in love, because frankly, it’s a scary notion. If it is love that Kakashi and Uncle Obito have between them, then it would mean staying together without being together. It would mean sleeping with other people. It would mean forgoing every chance that you’d get at a decent, reliable partner because you simply don’t want them but this person you’ve been living with for more than twenty years, and known for more than thirty years of your life.

It’s confusing and painful. Why would anyone want that in their life? The idea that someone else holds your heart in their palm and can crush it in an instant, and you voluntarily commit to it, sounds ridiculous – and yes, she sees the irony in it.

Whatever she feels for Itachi is confusing. And painful, too. Only three or four months ago, on his birthday, Sakura had begun to acknowledge that she might have a crush on him. And it hadn’t felt confusing or painful, even if she had tried her best not to act on it. She knew even then that a mere crush is a dangerous idea. But at least it was easy. It was simple. A casual attraction towards the handsome neighbour.

She has no idea how it escalated from _that_ to thinking that Itachi is made of star stuff _because it’s fitting_.

They sit on the roof until the sky begins to lighten up, until the stars twinkle out, and the sun rises at the horizon. She almost feels bad that Itachi has to go into work, and that she made him sit with her through the night, before remembering that he picked a fight with her in the middle of the night out in the streets.

Sakura watches him as they lean against the wall to witness the pink and orange colours spill over the city. She watches the set of his jaw, the marvel in his eyes at the Universe, and the peace stemming from him despite the tiredness and sleep deprivation, and begins to wonder when the hell he started to look downright beautiful.


	13. Kizoku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name is the Japanese term for "aristocracy".

Sasuke and Naruto leave for their paid trip to the north. Which means that either Itachi enjoy his dinners alone, eat with his team, go over to Hinata or Temari and Shikamaru, or join Sakura, Kakashi, Uncle Obito, and Sai.

Sakura is sure that he doesn't mean to avoid her, but Sai. Hence, it's a little surprising when he comes over to eat with them on the night that his brother leaves.

"Hey, come on in."

"Have you heard from them yet?" he asks nervously.

Sakura shuts the door behind him. He follows her to the kitchen, even though the others are sitting in the living area.

"No. But I'm sure they're fine." She strains the pasta in the sink. "Can you check the sauce?"

Itachi dutifully opens the lid, takes a taste, and puts it back. "I'd give it five more minutes. I had specifically told them to text me as soon as they reach. And they should have reached by now."

"Grab the plates. Do you want wine?" Then reconsiders. "Actually, there's some rum left. Why don't you get the soda from fridge, make a nice Cuba, and chill the fuck out?"

"Sakura," he condemns but does as she tells. "You want sangria?"

Sakura glances at the couch. Kakashi is sitting with his feet in Uncle Obito's lap as always, and Sai is sitting on the floor, reading the newspaper that Uncle Obito bought that morning.

"Yeah, hit me."

Itachi is in the middle of pouring the rum in her sangria when his phone makes a loud noise, alerting him to a text message. He quickly snakes it out from his pocket.

"Oh, they reached," he says and visibly deflates. "Naruto made stops to click photographs on their way. This one is good. See."

Sakura dutifully sees. Sasuke and Naruto are standing on the roadside, with beautiful snow-capped mountains behind them. They have their arms around each other's shoulders, and are wearing identical grins.

"Why were you so worried? It's not like Sasuke is a child anymore."

Itachi rolls his eyes and says, "He's my baby brother."

Sakura wonders how it would have been to have a sibling. "Dad?" she calls out.

"Yes, doll?" Kakashi's lazy baritone floats over.

"Why don't I have a sibling?"

Itachi snorts and shuts the stove off for the sauce.

"I have twenty-six years worth of reasons," he replies. "You really want to get into it?"

Itachi laughs. "I would."

"I'm twenty-six," she reminds Kakashi. "Wouldn't it be twenty-four years worth of reasons?"

"Doll," Kakashi drawls again. "If you think you're the only reason for me not having more kids, I don't know what to say to that."

Itachi laughs harder.

Sakura hits him in the back. "Shut up."

He helps her serve the food and the wine, and takes a place on the floor with Sai and Sakura.

"My, my," Kakashi says mockingly, "I feel so old. Obi, look at the kids. The way they give us respect is simply heartwarming."

Everyone ignores him. Uncle Obito's phone starts to ring. He places his plate on the coffee table and moves over to the kitchen to receive the call. Kakashi frowns and lowers his own plate to watch him.

The phone call is short and quick.

"Who was that?" Kakashi asks.

Uncle Obito beams at him. "I got the TV show!"

"What?" Kakashi gets to his feet quickly. Uncle Obito bounds over and throws his arms around him. "Congratulations, Obi! I told you that you'd get it!"

"Thank you!"

"Are they aware that we are here?" Sai asks curiously.

"I hope so," Itachi mutters.

Sakura's face scrunches up. "Don't make it sound … like that. It's just a hug."

Even as she says it, the three of them watch Kakashi and Uncle Obito talk amongst themselves excitedly and obliviously. They're not hugging anymore but they haven't pulled apart completely, either.

"What's happening?" Itachi eventually calls out loudly to get their attention.

The two of them startle and quickly put some distance between them. Sakura stares at them, and they ignore her existence in particular completely.

"I just became the lead journalist for a TV news show," Uncle Obito says, all embarrassed and flushing pink.

"Congratulations!" Sai, Sakura, and Itachi say together.

"Thank you," Uncle Obito beams.

"Which show is this, anyway? I don't think you'd mentioned it before," Itachi asks and Sakura remembers that Uncle Obito had told her that he's been in touch with Itachi.

"Oh, I didn't want to say anything until I got the part. It's called _Akatsuki_. The earlier host is retiring so I'll be replacing him. It's kind of like an interview show."

Itachi perks up. "Do you have a specific category?"

Uncle Obito frowns. "I know what you're thinking. No, there's no specific category as such. Itachi, it's risky."

"Wait, what's happening?" Sakura interrupts.

"It'll be worth it," Itachi assures him. "I have everything that I could possibly need, and think about it: your very first interview would be a huge deal."

"It's not up to me," Uncle Obito protests. "Well, not fully, at least. You're very young. I don't know how I'd possibly convince them to let you visit."

"Let me speak with whoever directly," Itachi insists. "Obito, I've already convinced you, we both know that. We also know that you want to bring him down."

"Bring who down?" Sakura interrupts again.

"Shimura Danzo," they both reply at the same time.

"Seriously, what's happening?" she asks again.

"Look at it in this way," Itachi continues, ignoring her yet again. "I have a groundbreaking story that I want to share with everyone. Why wouldn't your channel buy it? I _could_ approach other news channels. But I know that you've disliked Danzo for a long time now. This is as much your chance to blow his cover as it is mine. I really need a trustworthy platform for this, because he definitely has connections in the media. I don't want to keep sniffing out mines here, Obito."

"How do you know that this channel is not the same?"

"I don't," Itachi admits. "But you do. And I honestly don't think that you would have considered this position in the first place if you knew that it's the same as the media company that you currently work for. You've already sniffed out the mines in _Akatsuki_ for me."

"I like this kid," Kakashi laughs.

"I could try," Uncle Obito says slowly. "But I can't make any promises."

"That's perfect," Itachi quickly replies. "Just make them give me a chance, and leave the rest up to me. I swear that I won't ruin it."

"Do _you_ know what's happening?" Sakura directs her question to Kakashi.

"Obviously," he rolls his eyes.

"Why don't I know of this?" she grumbles, but there's no real heat behind her words.

"It's related to the industrial world," Itachi tells her. "I didn't think you'd be interested."

"What? Of course, I'd be interested!" she defends. "I listen to you and Sasuke yap about things all the time. I even remember Shimura Danzo! You said he runs a consulting business called ROOT, and that he'd approached you."

"Yeah, that's him," Itachi says, surprised.

"See? I do listen. So tell me, what's going on?"

"I know Shimura Danzo," Sai suddenly says. "My brother, Shin, lost his business because of him. Shin said that Danzo approached him with a very attractive deal, but it made everything worse eventually for Shin. He got thrown out of his own business."

"You never told me that," Sakura frowns. "All you said was Shin was a businessman and now he's not."

"That is true," Sai points out.

"That's what I'm talking about," Itachi cuts in. "What he did with Shin is what he does with everyone. The difference is that Shin at least was aware that he was cut out. Not everyone does. Danzo is sneaky. He makes them believe that quitting their own business is their own idea, so he'd be safe."

"That's smart," Sakura remarks.

"Very," Itachi agrees. "But I'm smarter. And I'm going to expose him."

"On Uncle Obito's show," Sakura realises.

"Yes. If they allow me."

"I'm sure they will," Sakura assures him emptily.

"It's not that easy," Uncle Obito tells her. "Danzo is a powerful man with powerful connections. He recently carved himself a place in Kizoshan."

"What?" Sakura stares. "Samui's company?"

"Yeah," Itachi admits. "Taking him head-on is borderline foolish, but I think it's the best way right now. Danzo might be prepared for someone stealthily ruining him, the way he does to others. The probability of him being prepared for a public exposure with zero warning is much less."

"And you're sure that no one knows you have incriminating documents against him?"

Itachi smirks. "That's the beauty of it. I don't. I have no documented proof that he's a sneaky bastard."

"I don't get it."

"Sakura," he begins snootily, "I have lost the count of number of times that I've told you that I possess a brilliant mind –"

"Should I remind you?" she mutters.

He ignores it. "I have gone through every company's life cycle that is under Danzo currently. Not directly, of course, that would be too obvious. He appoints someone else but they run on his command. The key to his exposure is my intellect."

"Are you telling me that this powerful man with powerful connections in powerful companies has a fatal flaw and that is your brain?"

"Yes."

"That's too cocky even for you."

Itachi gives her a challenging stare. "Ask me about any company and I will tell you exactly what happened, how Danzo took over it, and how they can trace it for themselves."

"He's kidding, right?" Sakura looks to Uncle Obito for help.

"Actually, he's not," Uncle Obito shrugs and smiles as if he himself can't believe it yet. "That's what he did this whole time with me. When he learned that I dislike Danzo as well, he kind of used me as a sounding board since I could get in touch with many significant personalities, and check for myself whether he is right or not."

"And he's right?" she asks for confirmation.

"Yep. The kid is a genius, sweetheart."

Itachi is smirking at her.

"What if you're wrong?" Sakura insists. "What if this only makes everything worse for you? What will happen to your own company? Itachi, if this man is as powerful as you tell me he is, then he doesn't need much to crush you."

"She has a point," Sai adds in. "If Danzo has already approached you, then we can say that he has his eyes on you. Don't go pissing him off."

"I know the risks," Itachi frowns. "This is going to work, though. All I'm aiming for is to start a conversation in the industry. Danzo might be powerful, but he is not on top of the ladder."

"Are you saying that you have someone under your belt who is more powerful than he is?"

"Maybe," Itachi admits. "Sakura, have you ever searched the name Uchiha before?"

Sakura fidgets awkwardly. "Not really."

Itachi takes out his phone and types something in it. Sakura exchanges a look with Sai, who is sporting his usual poker face and merely stares back at her. Itachi holds out his phone.

Sakura shifts to sit beside him. It's a photo of a man with long, black bushy hair, a pointed chin, dressed in an expensive black suit. The name below the image reads _Uchiha Madara_.

"Is he your relative?" she asks curiously.

"Yes. And my investor. He's the reason why Danzo hasn't done anything drastic against me yet. Uncle Madara owns _Susano'o_."

"Oh," Sakura says blankly. "Is that … is that a big company?"

Uncle Obito, Kakashi, and Itachi suddenly laugh. She has the distinct feeling that they're laughing _at_ her.

"Yes, you can say that," Itachi says with amusement.

"Why hasn't he done anything to Danzo, then?" Sakura demands stubbornly.

Itachi is taking a huge risk, and she's honestly worried about the outcome. She knows that Itachi is a smart person, but she also knows that he is not the only one – case in point being herself. Sakura might not be knowledgeable in fields other than medicine, but she _is_ excellent in what she does. She has dedicated her entire focus and energy in being the best in her field. Despite her gifted mind, though, Sakura knows that Dr. Orochimaru and Dr. Tsunade are downright brilliant and it will take Sakura _years_ before she is at the same level as them – if that ever happens.

Like Itachi himself pointed out, Danzo might be powerful, but he is not on top of the ladder. There's always someone better than you out there. Sakura is worried that what if Danzo does have someone better than Itachi on his side. Granted, so does Itachi. Madara is clearly a big deal. Even so, she can't help but worry. Itachi is banking on this, and if it doesn't work out the way he wants it – for whatever reason – he will be extremely disappointed. Sakura wants him to succeed, obviously, but she can't ignore the possibility of him losing.

Itachi is made for bigger things, she already knows that. He doesn't belong here, running a small business, doing neighbourly things, and eating dinner with her on the floor of her apartment. He belongs out in the open. Sakura has begun to understand Uncle Obito's _some people are born to fly._ Itachi belongs in the sky because he's made of star stuff. Sakura can't even begin to imagine what will happen if Itachi ends up losing everything in this self-declared war. He's already vulnerable as it is.

_I don't know what to do. And it's annoying to not know._

That's what he had said to her two weeks ago on the roof.

If this doesn't pan out, Sakura is worried that Itachi will be utterly lost.

"It's not that complicated," Itachi replies with a casual shrug. "Uncle Madara thinks that Danzo is a cockroach and doesn't want to step on an insect. He has bigger fish to fry."

"Now I see where you get your arrogance from," Sakura grumbles. She's still not convinced, though. "So why are you fixated on Danzo? Surely, if you have your Uncle on your side, you can forgo this one man and focus on bigger things?"

"Says the person who operated at gunpoint and held a bomb," Itachi fires back.

There's a ringing silence following his words. Sakura stares at Itachi, unable to believe that he would bring that up in this manner. It feels like a slap to her face. She thinks that maybe he'll apologize for saying that, but he doesn't. He glares back resolutely.

"I think you should leave now," Kakashi states, using the voice reserved for _don't talk back right now if you want to stay alive_.

Itachi doesn't move. Sakura would have been impressed if she weren't so pissed. She doesn't understand why Itachi has to throw it back in her face _again_. She thought that they were already past that.

"We already agreed that it was stupid of me," she says through clenched teeth. "That I shouldn't do it again."

" _No_ ," Itachi counters stonily. "We agreed that you will stay safe, _alive_ , no matter what happens. We agreed that I would never find myself planning your funeral. We agreed that you _had_ to operate at gunpoint and that you _had_ to hold a live bomb. I thought that you, of all people, would understand this."

_All I could think was I have to do this. That's it. That's all I knew, and that's what I did._

And Sakura finally gets it. For Itachi, Danzo is the lunatic with a gun, the lunatic who played around with a homemade bazooka. He doesn't want to be a hero, either. He only wants to do what he believes to be right. Danzo might not be the biggest fish to fry in the sea, but he is Itachi's fish.

Comparing life-and-death situation with a business dilemma might not be the same at face value, and Itachi isn't doing that. Sakura understands that he is pointing out the principle of it. Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do.

"But yes," Itachi continues iciliy, getting to his feet, keeping his half-eaten plate beside his half-empty Cuba. "I think I should leave. Thank you for the dinner, Sakura."

He turns to Uncle Obito. "I look forward to hearing from you on this matter. As I said, just give me one chance and I won't ruin it. Let me come on _Akatsuki_."

Without really waiting for a reply, he spins around and leaves her apartment, the door slamming in his wake.

* * *


	14. Mjolnir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name is dedicated to Thor’s hammer from MCU – called the Mjolnir.

As soon as Itachi leaves, Sakura starts to feel bad. Kakashi, Uncle Obito, and Sai don’t speak much after his dramatic exit, and they let her to her own thoughts. They finish their dinner quietly, and Sakura feels as though she’s forcing the squiggly strangs of dough down her throat rather than eating one of her favourite meals.

She retires to her bedroom without rinsing the utensils. She hears the men talking amongst themselves lowly as the water in the sink and the clink of plates and forks and glasses play in the background. She waits until things are quiet, and then tiptoes outside to grab the bottle of wine.

She drinks from the bottle directly as she sits on the floor of her bedroom, her back resting against the bed. She remembers when she was sitting in this exact same fashion and Itachi was outside her door, talking to her, making her laugh, and saying _I know that you think you did the wrong thing_ and then _you will always have the right to make your own choice_.

Despite Itachi’s claim that he did not do what he wanted, he still made a choice. He made the choice of staying where he was, and believing it to be the right one at that time. She remembers what he said on the rooftop to her, that _I’ve tried for a long time to be satisfied by what I had; it isn’t working anymore. I find myself wanting more_. This is Itachi’s _more_. And Sakura made it all about herself.

She hates how guilty she feels. She hates that she cares so much about what Itachi said. She hates the way he shut down right in front of her, and that she was the cause for it. She hates herself more than anything else right now.

Itachi has never treated her like this before. He has been mad at her many times. They’ve held arguments, debates, said rude things to each other. The closed-off demeanour is completely new, though. It doesn’t sit well with her.

Sakura checks her phone. 12.02 AM. She snorts humourlessly, recalling that this appears to be a running theme in their lives. Wanting to have serious conversations in the middle of the night.

She’s quite nicely buzzed.

 _You drink wine to get through conversations_ , Itachi’s haughty voice fills her mind, from when he’d said it at Alessandro after their spat over Hulk and Captain America had begun.

Sakura hasn’t forgotten the way Itachi was so passionate when he spoke about Captain America. He said that a true leader would use the pieces at his disposal to get the right outcome. She hadn’t made the connection at that time, but now it feels ridiculous to have missed it.

Steve Rogers had great skills, but he was a scrawny little soldier. He signed up for the experimental serum, believing that he has nothing to lose even if it goes wrong. Of course, it doesn’t go wrong. He becomes Captain America, now aided with a shield, a perfect healthy human body, and is finally able to lead the way he always wanted to, to become the soldier he was meant to become.

Sakura hates that she knows MCU, that she has come to love it. She’s given this a great deal of thought, about why she is fascinated with super-heroes when she had never bothered with anything that wasn’t about medicine before. Being a woman of science, of knowing the practicality of human limitations, she should know better than to cheer for Hulk, or the Black Widow as she fights aliens significantly stronger than her, or Thor’s penchant for being able to use a hammer that even someone as strong as Hulk cannot lift _because Mjolnir is only for those who deserve it._

It all sounds ridiculous to her, the whole thing, but then she thinks about Itachi and his desire to lead people in a better world, a world ridden by people like Danzo. She also knows for a fact that he won’t just stop there. Itachi has waited a long time to be recognized for his skills, to use his intellect freely, and to achieve a stage where he doesn’t have to work within four walls, so that he can visit Switzerland to witness subatomic particles that make up the Universe. It’ll be a crime to stand in his way, she thinks.

Sakura rings the doorbell to 10A. Knocks won’t cut it this time. She needs Itachi to wake up so that she can get this out of her system, so that she doesn’t burst through her skin. The utter need to make things right with him – _this instant and not a moment later_ – is overpowering to the point where trivial things such as time or place or social etiquettes do not matter in the least.

He opens the door.

“Sakura?”

She frowns at him. “Didn’t you see who it is through the peephole? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

He crosses his hands over his chest and glares. He’s not wearing a shirt, and Sakura, in her buzzed state, is finding it very hard not to stare. Itachi became downright beautiful on the rooftop as they watched the sunrise over the horizon, but over the days since then, he has only become downright _irresistible_.

“Isn’t that what you do?” he reminds her.

Clearly, he’s still mad at her. Sakura bites her lip. “Can I come in?”

“Are you here to tell me that I’m being stupid?”

“Even if that’s the case, you are not allowed to keep me stranded outside.”

He scoffs derisively. “You stay right there. You won’t be stranded.”

Sakura loses her patience and pushes him back in his apartment by his shoulders. Itachi stumbles in surprise and glares even harder as she shuts the door behind her with her feet.

“Listen,” she begins before he can come up with more snarky remarks. “I’m sorry.”

He doesn’t budge. “For what?”

“For not understanding. For implying that you don’t know what you’re doing. For not trusting that you do know what you’re doing. Itachi, I’m worried. I just don’t want to see you fail. I know that you are smart, I’m not saying that you are not, so this might be quite unreasonable, but you can’t fault me for being worried about you. I don’t know everything there is to know about this Danzo thing but you basically said that you’re going to expose him on national TV and I know _that’s_ a huge deal. Something that definitely warrants _some_ concern.”

Itachi doesn’t look mad anymore, but he is still heavily frowning at her. “I’m not going to fail.”

Sakura groans in frustration. “I’m not saying that you will! I’m saying that I’m worried, you stupid genius.”

“That’s the thing: why are you so worried?” he counters incredulously.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Sakura says helplessly. “This is a big thing. No shit, I’m worried. You will lose all your hardwork if this doesn’t work.”

“It’s not going to fail!” he insists yet again. “Trust me, okay? Sakura, you don’t see me questioning your career choices, do you? I trust that you can handle your own decisions. You know your own field better than me. Can you not return the favour? Trust me to handle business the way I trust you to handle medicine.”

Sakura takes in his earnest face, and the only thing she cares about right now is that he isn’t closed off to her the way he was when he left dinner. As long as he’s bothering to talk with her, she thinks she can breathe easily.

“Okay,” she says. “You’re right. I should trust that you can handle this. But I’m still allowed to be worried that you’re taking on a powerful person. It doesn’t have to mean that I don’t trust you. It only means that I care as a friend.”

“That’s acceptable,” he agrees. His shoulders aren’t stiff anymore.

“Okay,” she says for no reason other than wanting to speak with him.

“Besides,” he adds tiredly, “we don’t even know if Obito will be able to get me on that show. All of this will be for moot if that doesn’t happen.”

“You can just find another way to expose him,” she suggests.

He sighs. “I suppose.”

“Okay,” she repeats and Itachi gives her a funny look. Sakura giggles. “Sorry, I drank wine beore coming here.”

He shuts his eyes as though in prayer. It makes her laugh openly. “I can’t believe you had to get drunk to apologize to me.”

“No,” she corrects him. “I got drunk because I felt bad. Then I thought that apologizing might make me feel better because the wine wasn’t working.”

He smirks with apparent amusement. “Did it?”

“I think so,” she frowns. “I still feel a little funny, though.”

Itachi immediately backtracks a few steps. “Are you going to puke?”

“I don’t know,” she admits. “My stomach feels weird. But not the kind of weird that precedes puking. Never mind, I’m sure it’s nothing.”

When Itachi chuckles, the feeling intensifies. “Says the doctor.”

“Whatever, I don’t even care,” she mutters. “I’m going to go home now. You can go back to sleep.”

He smirks wider. “Do you know how to get there, or should I help?”

Sakura feels like hitting him and kissing him at the same time, and the thought of kissing him sobers her up like a cold shower. The feeling in the pit of her stomach is worse than ever now, and she feels a full body flush.

“No, thank you, genius,” she manages to say even as her mind fills with images of various scenarios in which she ends up kissing him. _This is so not good_.

She turns to leave but stops. Itachi hasn’t moved from his spot. He quirks an eyebrow at her in question. “I upset you. I think I should give you a hug. It seems like the protocol between us.”

Itachi smiles, a small smile that makes him look pretty. “Okay.”

So Sakura strides forward and wraps her arms around his waist and tucks her head under his chin. She is acutely aware that he is naked from waist up.

Itachi’s body is warm and smells like mint soap. His skin is soft and Sakura wants nothing more than to trace her fingers lightly over it. She feels him resting his cheek over the top of her head and his hands tighten around her.

Sakura’s heart is hammering inside her chest. If Itachi can feel it, he doesn’t comment.

“I really am sorry,” she whispers with lips pressed against his collar.

“I know,” he says softly. “It’s alright. You’re allowed to be worried. I would have been to, if our places were reversed.”

“Yeah?” she smiles.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“Stop saying that,” he mutters.

“Okay.”

“You’re impossible,” he decides and places a kiss on top of her head. “Thank you for apologizing.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Okay.”

Sakura giggles and he presses a smile in her hair.

“Do you want to stay for a bit?” he asks, and Sakura thinks that he sounds shy.

“Okay.”

Itachi groans and laughs at the same time, and pulls back from her. Sakura smiles sweetly just to piss him off. He rolls his eyes and offers her a midnight sandwich. She remembers the way he’d left without finishing his dinner and feels a rush of guilt once again. So she agrees to a midnight sandwich even though she’s not remotely hungry.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto return on Monday morning. She knows this because Sasuke, Naruto, and Itachi knock on her door bright and early at 7.30 AM.

Sai is still sleeping soundly on the couch. Kakashi and Uncle Obito haven’t made an appearance, either. Naruto holds up a finger over his lips and stealthily moves to the couch only to suddenly tickle Sai into waking up.

Sai is laughing freely and Sakura has never seen him like that before. Naruto tackles him back on the couch to tickle harder.

“Aren’t they getting cosy?” Sasuke mutters lowly before giving her a huge grin. “Hi.”

Sakura chuckles. “Hi. How was your trip?”

Sasuke blushes for some reason. “It was good.”

Kakashi throws open the door. “What’s happening?” Then he sees Naruto and Sai on the couch, Sasuke standing by the breakfast table with Sakura, and Itachi rooting around the kitchen cupboards for mugs.

“Just you kids,” he grumbles. “Shut up so that I can sleep.” And he shuts the door.

“What’s with him?” Sasuke frowns. “He’s grumpy today.”

“Not the only one,” Itachi comments offhandedly. “Are you coming in to work today?”

“Of course!” Naruto replies for him. “Let me put some coffee in me and we’re good to go!”

“I am,” Sasuke assures Itachi personally. “But yes, let me have some coffee first.”

“I’m dying for a shower,” Naruto complains. “Sakura, can I _please_ use your shower? I have spare clothes in my bag. Teme convinced me to come here instead of going at my own place. If you want to blame someone for your lack of privacy, blame him.”

Sakura wants to point out that Naruto _can_ perfectly use the shower at Sasuke’s place, but refrains from it. “Knock yourself out.”

He beams. “Thanks!”

“Hey, I was going to brush my teeth,” Sai tells him, even as Naruto opens his suitcase to take out clean clothes. “I suppose we can use the bathroom at the same time.”

“No way!” Sasuke says forcefully. “Naruto, go use my shower.”

Naruto rolls his eyes. “Relax, teme.” Sasuke opens his mouth to retort but Naruto continues. “Sai, don’t come in while I shower. I’m sure you don’t mean it in a pervy way, but it will make me uncomfortable to have you there. Okay?”

Sai nods. “Okay.”

“See?” Naruto raises his eyebrows at Sasuke. “He understands if you explain.”

“For the last time,” Sasuke groans in frustration. “It was obvious! It’s not my fault you didn’t get it.” Clearly, they had some spat over their weekend trip.

“No, it wasn’t obvious at all,” Naruto says stubbornly.

“Whatever. Just shower already.”

“Aren’t you going to?” Itachi asks mildly. “Maybe you can join Naruto.”

Sasuke and Naruto both turn the deepest red possible. “Shut up, Itachi!”

“I’ll go take one in my own bathroom,” Sasuke adds and then pauses. “After the coffee.”

“Have you ever considered that you all might be caffeine addicts?” Sai asks curiously.

Sakura, Sasuke, and Itachi share a look.

“Coffee, anyone?” Itachi offers instead.

Sakura and Sasuke immediately nod. Naruto hollers out a “don’t forget me!” as he shuts the bathroom door behind him.

“Might as well,” Sai shrugs and gets to his feet.

* * *

Hinata comes to her one month before the wedding, to speak about the Bachelorette party.

“Shouldn’t we involve Karin in this, too?” Sakura asks.

They’re sitting in Sakura’s apartment on a Sunday.

Hinata fidgets. “Well, yes. How do we get in touch with her without Temari finding out?”

“Sasuke?” Sakura suggests. Karin is infatuated with him. Every time they visit the restaurant with the purpose of waiting for Temari after the closing hours, Karin has made it a point to stop by and ogle at the man. Sakura is sure that Sasuke can speak with her without raising red alerts.

“I suppose,” Hinata says thoughtfully. “Do you know what the guys are planning for the Bachelor’s party?”

She doesn’t. “Should we ask them? Oh, can we throw a common party?”

Hinata laughs. “Sakura, the point of it is to celebrate being unmarried. Asking your partner to be present nullifies the whole point. Besides, these parties are supposed to go wild. Do you really want the guys to be present?”

“We have to go wild?” Sakura asks instead, igoring everything else.

“That’s the general idea.”

“Do _you_ want to go wild?”

Hinata doesn’t seem like the type of person to be doing that. Although, Sakura muses, people can be rather surprising.

“Don’t you?” Hinata shoots back.

“I guess? Strippers, alcohol, and male-bashing isn’t exactly something I’ve done in my life.”

Hinata chuckles. “I’ve been to one Bachelorette party,” she says. “Neji asked me to be part of the bridal party for his ex-wife. She didn’t have many close friends.”

Neji is Hinata’s twin brother. Sakura has never met him, but she’s seen photographs. He has the same inky blue hair and grey eyes that Hinata does. He went to college in Iwa, and settled there. Sakura doesn’t know much about him, except that he got married young, and divorced within a year. Apparently, he realised that his wife is severely toxic, and made it a point to bash Neji’s friend every chance that she got. After their divorce, Neji ended up dating said friend.

 _The world is not black and white_ , Kakashi had told her when she was five.

“I honestly doubt that Shika will be up for strippers,” Sakura remarks. “Combining both the parties won’t even make much of a difference.”

Hinata laughs. “True. They’re going to have to kidnap Shika for sure. And keep him there.”

“He’ll just fall asleep.”

“Probably. On second thought, seeing that whatever they come up for Shika won’t even work, I guess he’d be up for surprising Temari, though.”

“Didn’t you just point out how bringing the guys would nullify the whole point?”

“I know. But you’re right, too. I know that it’s tradition to give separate parties, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be of much fun for the groom. Temari, on the other hand, is shameless enough to enjoy regardless of who is present.”

Sakura laughs so hard she almost topples over her chair. “We can at least talk with the guys,” she agrees once she’s calmed down.

“Let’s do it right now,” Hinata says and gets to her feet without waiting for a reply.

Sakura waits as she goes over to 10A to call Itachi and Sasuke. To Sakura’s surprise – or maybe not – Naruto trails behind the lot.

“Combined Bachelor and Bachelorette parties?” Naruto repeats thoughtfully once the girls finish pitching their suggestion.

“To be honest, that would work better than separate ones,” Sasuke admits. “We were worried that Shika won’t be up for anything that we throw. This way, he’ll make the effort for Temari’s sake.”

“Basically,” Itachi continues, “this would be a Bachelorette party but with the groom.”

“Yes.”

“Perfect,” Itachi grins. “That’s one thing less for me to do.”

Sakura rolls her eyes. “So is this a yes?”

“Hell yeah,” Naruto says excitedly and Sasuke nods.

“Hang on, another point,” Hinata cuts in. “Sasuke, we need you to get in touch with Karin.”

Naruto sobers up instantly. “What for?” he demands before Sasuke can speak.

“Because,” Hinata says patiently, “we don’t know her that well. If this is going to be a surprise, we can hardly walk up to her with Temari watching us. Sasuke can be seen speaking with her because she basically throws herself at him every chance she gets. It won’t be as suspicious. All he has to do is tell her we are throwing a party and ask for her number.”

Naruto’s frown deepens. “You want Sasuke to ask for her number?”

“Yes.”

“For the party,” Sakura reminds him pointedly. “Sasuke is not going to go out with her.”

“Obviously,” Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“I can do it,” Naruto says forcefully. “I’ll get her number.”

“She won’t give it to you,” Itachi says mildly with an amused face.

“You’re not going to do that,” Sasuke says stubbornly, glaring at his best friend. “I’ll get her number, okay? We both know your history with women.”

Sakura wants to hide her face in her hands at this exchange. She really does not understand how obvious they need to become to realise what the hell is going on. Then again, she can be quite oblivious herself. She hadn’t connected the dots before Itachi’s co-workers had pointed it out to her.

“She’s going to try and seduce you,” Naruto snaps. “Don’t pretend that that’s not going to happen.”

“So what?” Sasuke challenges. “I’m free to do whatever the hell I want. Maybe I _want_ to ask her out. Maybe I’m pleased to see that she’s interested in me.”

“Are you?” Naruto asks incredulously. “A lot of women have been interested in you over the years, Sas. Why don’t you just date them all?”

“Maybe I will,” Sasuke snaps.

Naruto’s lips thin in anger and his blue eyes harden visibly. Sakura seeks out Itachi and Hinata for help, but they both have their eyebrows raised and are completely unwilling to interfere.

“Fine,” Naruto says flatly, sounding rather dangerous. “Date Karin. Date whoever the fuck you want. But don’t forget that all those women have only shown an interest in you because of your looks. If you want somone shallow, fine, go ahead.”

“That’s rich,” Sasuke taunts. “All the women _you_ dated weren’t exactly Einstien’s, either. In fact, need I remind you, that you dated those women for the same reason they dated you: physical attraction and convenience. Don’t go throwing stones at other people’s houses when your own is made of glass.”

“You’re such a bastard!” Naruto’s voice raises.

“Because I’m right?” Sasuke mocks further. Fighting with Naruto is literally the only time Sasuke has ever shown real passion in. Well, that and MCU. Otherwise, he’s the epitome of guy-next-door. “And why are we even having this conversation? All Hinata said was that we need Karin’s number. I’m clearly the best candidate for it.”

“And then what? Ask for her number, get in touch with her, and she just might convince you to change your mind.”

“So _what_?!” Sasuke suddenly yells, standing up and towering over Naruto. “ _So what, Naruto?_ So what if she convinces me to go on a date? Is it that big of a deal? Do you never want me to date anyone in my life? Stay single forever as your best friend and watch you screw your variety of women how much ever you feel like it? What’s the point of all this fighting? _Why are you so against me dating?_ ”

Sakura’s mind fills with Kakashi and Uncle Obito, and she forces it out with considerable effort.

Naruto pushes him back and gets to his feet, as well. “I don’t want some stupid person to hurt you, you fucking moron! Do you honestly think all those women who asked you out deserved you? No, they didn’t. Neither does Karin!”

“You don’t even know them personally,” Sasuke says icily, crossing his hands over his chest. “You have no idea how they truly are. And the thing is, neither do I. Because I didn’t date them. I didn’t go out with them.”

“If you’re so sure,” Naruto snarls in his face, “maybe you should have. If nothing else, you would have seen for yourself that I was right.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that they need to get screened by your ass before they are allowed to date me.”

“Yes,” Naruto says stubbornly. “I’m your best friend.”

“Some best friend,” Sasuke says. “You’re always picking a fight with me whenever my dating comes up. It’s as though you want me to stay single forever.”

“I don’t want that,” Naruto argues. “Of course, I don’t want you to stay single! I just … I just want you to be with someone who deserves you! If you can’t see that, then I’m going to have to pick fights with you until you get it!”

Sasuke throws him a disbelieving look. “How will you know whom I deserve?”

“Sasuke, you’re the best person I know,” Naruto says seriously. “And I _know_ you. We’ve been friends forever! Who else is a better judge than me to decide whom you deserve?”

Itachi clears his throat pointedly, and Sakura has the sudden desire to laugh despite the tension in the room.

Naruto waves his hand in Itachi’s direction dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. Sasuke, trust me. I’m thinking of your good in this.”

“No, you’re not,” Sasuke says. “You’re picking fights with me every time the topic of my dating comes up. At this rate, I’ll begin to think that you’re either jealous or not a nice friend. But I know you, too. So I know that you’re a good friend. Which could only mean that you will sound jealous than anything else if you continue this.”

Naruto flushes a bright red and his eyes drop down from Sasuke’s. He doesn’t speak for a few moments.

“You’re right,” he eventually mutters. “I haven’t been handling this topic well. I don’t want you to stay single. I just don’t want to see you hurt. I guess that I’ve made more damage than good.”

“Thank you. And I’m not going to date Karin,” Sasuke adds softly, trying to catch Naruto’s eyes. “I know that I deserve more than someone just wanting to be with me without even knowing me well enough. I know that I deserve proper consideration, and a proper date. I know that you’re a good judge of people and you won’t sit and watch if I make a mistake. I trust you. I’m not going to date Karin because I’m not interested in Karin. I prefer more … someone who challenges me. Not someone who swoons over me.”

Naruto smirks slightly. “Sas, anyone will be smitten by you. That’s just an impractical wish to have.”

Sasuke grins. “Is that a compliment?”

“As if. I’m only pointing out your stupidity.”

* * *

Turns out, Itachi being a CEO can be exploited thoroughly. If only Sakura knew this way before.

Itachi manages to book four rooms for Saturday night in one of the most trending hotels in the city called _Amaterasu_. It typically has months of waiting period. Naturally, the place is every bit suave as one can expect with wide welcoming lobbies, beautiful themed rooms with spacious bathrooms, and complementary free access to their club, swimming pool, lounge, breakfast, gym, sauna, and Sakura stops reading the list.

Karin brings Temari to the lobby after Alessandro’s closing hours with a false excuse, and Itachi does the same with Shikamaru. Sakura, Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto are waiting for them with a large banner that reads _BACHELOR-N-ETTE PARTY!_ , balloons, funky hats, and dressed to kill.

Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto are wearing black suits with different colored shirts, and Itachi is carrying one for Shikamaru to change into. Similarly, Sakura and Hinata are wearing one of their best dresses, Karin is carrying her own, and Hinata picked out Temari’s dress.

“SURPRISE!”

“What’s this?” Temari stops in her tracks, forcing Karin to stumble a little. “No offence, but you guys spelt Bachelorette wrong.”

“It’s your Bachelor and Bachelorette party,” Hinata explains with a grin. “Bachelor-n-ette party.”

Shikamaru is staring as though he can’t believe he has to sit through a party.

“Come on, let’s get you changed!” Sakura insists and starts to drag Temari to her room in the hotel. “See you guys down in an hour.”

“An hour?!” Naruto calls out incredulously.

“Come on, dobe,” Sasuke tugs on his arm. “Itachi can help Shika. Let’s hang out at the bar.”

“Nuh uh,” Itachi immediately protests. “You’re coming with us. Otherwise, I’ll ask them to cancel your names from the bookings.”

The girls don’t wait around to hear the rest of their argument.

“So what can I expect from this weird Bachelor-n-ette party?” Temari asks as she shrugs into her dress. Hinata has picked out a beautiful black sequined dress with tasteful cuts. She’s also got killer black heels to go with it.

Hinata goes on to explain how they believed Shika might be more interested in it if Temari is present, ironically. So they decided to spend the night doing everything that they would do in a typical Bachelorette party, only with the guys present.

Temari snorts, not unkindly. “You’re right about Shika, I’ll give you that. What’s first on the agenda?”

“We have dinner at their fancy restaurant,” Sakura answers.

“And then pay a long visit to their club,” Karin grins.

“And then a surprise,” Hinata finishes.

“Quite classy,” Temari remarks. “How do I look?”

She looks stunning. Her blonde hair is down rather than the typical piggy tail hairdo she has to adopt for work. The dress fits perfectly in all the right places. Her make-up is light and natural with only her lips painted a bold pink.

They each have a glass of complementary champagne in the room itself. Karin is a little annoying for Sakura’s taste, and for some reason, she insists on sliding Sasuke into their conversation every now and then. Her phone beeps. It’s Itachi.

**Come down already.**

Sakura giggles.

“What is it?” Hinata asks. Sakura shows her the text, and she laughs. “Don’t reply. Make them wait.”

Sakura has every intention of doing just that.

Here’s the thing: the men look handsome in their suits, and Sakura knows that. It’s just that Itachi’s appearance has been tantalising her this whole time. He’s wearing a wine colored shirt under his black suit. He’s brought out his black-rimmed glasses for the occasion. Not only that, Sakura noticed a new piece of jewellery that she hasn’t seen before. Instead of the crow earring, Itachi is wearing a necklace that is almost a choker but not quite. It’s resting against his skin at the end of the column of his throat. Itachi’s shirt is popped open by two buttons that makes the necklace visible. He’s also wearing a ring on his index finger that has a large stone that matches his shirt. And he’s topped off the look with shiny black shoes, and the watch that Sakura gifted him for his birthday.

The simple fact that Itachi is not afraid to wear jewellery, seems rather fond of it, is more than enough for Sakura’s stomach to tighten. She recognizes the feeling as being _turned on_. Granted, it isn’t the first time, although it used to be manageable to suppress it until now.

She thinks that she’s going to be needing a hell lot of drinks tonight, if she wants to soldier on through all these rush of emotions. Other than being utterly turned on, Sakura has also begun to accept that there are deeper things at play here. Things that she really, _really_ doesn’t want to feel.

To be honest, Sakura herself is feeling self-conscious. She realised earlier that she _wants_ to look nice, that she wants him to take notice of her tonight. Not just any random person, _him_ in particular. She has absolutely no idea how to go about doing that. She doesn’t want to _seduce_ him exactly; she only wants him to notice her in a non-platonic way.

Sakura also has no idea what to do if he does end up noticing her in a non-platonic way, as she so puts it. _Let’s cross that bridge if/when you come to it._

She’s wearing a rose gold dress that has a high neckline in the front, but is practically backless. It’s a low cut dress with a little bit of flare to the skirt. She’s wearing the golden heels that she’d worn for Itachi’s birthday. Her hair is in a tasteful bun to show off her back. Hinata convinced her to wear small studded earrings and a matching delicate bracelet. The only make-up she’s put on is black winged eyeliner, and a deep red lipstick. She thinks it’s one of those occasions to let her light splatter of freckles be seen.

Sakura believes that she cleaned up rather well. And then she reminds herself that the night is supposed to be about Temari and Shikamaru, not her confusing – but very explicit thoughts – about her neighbour/friend/crush.

The girls eventually go down to meet up with the men in the lobby. Sakura watches Shikamaru’s eyes widen as Temari approaches him.

Karin immediately glues herself to Sasuke. Sakura makes sure to hook her elbow in Naruto’s as they make their way to the poolside restaurant. Hinata manages to squeeze herself between Karin and Sasuke, so Sakura lets Naruto sit on his other side, and she ends up beside Itachi.

Ever since Naruto and Sasuke’s fight at her apartment over Karin’s number, Sakura and Hinata made this unspoken pact to push those two together in every situation possible. Itachi decided to sit by and eat hypothetical popcorn.

Itachi leans in to murmur in her ear. “You look very nice, if I haven’t said it yet.”

Sakura tries to get her pounding heart under control. “You haven’t.”

“Well, you do. Look very nice.”

“Thank you,” she says and throws him a tiny smirk. “So do you.”

She expects an _I know_ , but he dips his head instead and thanks her. Slightly surprised, she takes a sip of her sangria.

“This feels more like a congratulations party,” Temari tells them at one point through dinner.

“Patience, woman,” Hinata teases her.

When they take the bride and the groom to the club after dinner, things begin to get a little wild. The crowd is made of people around their age, but there a few youngsters and oldies here and there. The club is spacious with a large dance floor and seating arrangements surrounding it from three sides.

Since the tradition is to be hammered, they hit the bar first. The food has already taken Sakura’s champagne and wine buzz away. As per her vow for tonight, she orders two shots of tequila for herself. Naruto joins her. They kick back the shots one after the other and grin at each other. Sasuke is holding a beer, Shikamaru is drinking scotch, Hinata and Temari are having more wine, Karin ordered some fancy cocktail, and Itachi is cradling a glass of his usual Cuba.

“We should get a table,” Hinata tells Itachi over the music.

Itachi nods and disappears. Sakura kicks back another shot before he arrives and leads them to a table that is magically cleared away.

“What the hell did you do?” Sakura demands when they sit down. She ended up beside him again. This drinking plan might not be going the way she wanted it to go. Or maybe it’s going exactly the way she secretly wanted it to go.

Itachi smirks arrogantly. “The hotel belongs to Uncle Madara. I have privileges.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “You’re bringing me here again.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Don’t forget that _you_ owe _me_ a date, and not the other way around.”

“You mean the date that you haven’t cashed yet?”

He shrugs. “I will. Don’t worry,” he assures her. “I’m going to wait until you hit rock bottom.”

“Ha ha,” she mutters. “I think you missed your chance, genius.”

He waves his hand dismissively. “Life-and-death don’t count,” he says.

“Then what?” she asks dryly.

“Rock bottom of your _bank account_ ,” he rephrases.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Sakura rolls her eyes. “Firstly, I’m not going to become bankrupt. I have a steady income. Secondly, isn’t that counter-productive? How will you get your expensive date if I don’t have any money?”

“That’s the beauty of it,” he answers. “The stress that you will undergo is going to be my reward.”

“You know,” she says coolly, “I’ve heard that people with high IQ some times stray on to the path of psychopathy.”

“You’d be privileged to have a psychopath as your friend,” he replies, matching her casual tone.

She laughs, feeling another rush of _something_ for this man. They order a variety of alcohol for their table and Itachi tells them to “put it on his tab”.

“Seriously,” Sakura stares at him as the server leaves. “You’re going to bring me here again.”

“Sakura,” he says with amusement, “are you typically impressed by a show of status?”

She raises an eyebrow. “Aren’t you the one to call me materialistic? And yet here you are, surprised by it.”

He laughs. “Even so, I thought doctors are all about saving lives above everything else. You know, working in rural places with no regards to their living conditions or paycheck.”

She shrugs. “There’s every kind of doctor.”

“What kind of a doctor are you?”

“The one that is going to take complete advantage of your staus,” she replies without missing a beat.

“God help me if I ever marry you,” Itachi chuckles and then kind of freezes in surprise by his own statement.

Sakura’s heart skips a beat, before running wild. She settles for a nonchalant smirk that is not entirely a success. “I didn’t know you were a God person.”

Itachi latches onto the topic without hesitation. “God is different for everyone. Of course, I have zero doubt that you are sceptical about it. I have rarely seen any doctors who believe in God.”

Before she can say anything to that, Naruto interrupts loudly, and Sakura remembers that they are in a club, and supposed to be celebrating Temari and Shikamaru. Mentally cursing herself, she hitches on a grin and joins the general chatter of the table. Itachi follows.

Naruto insists at one point that they should be dancing. He convinces Hinata, Temari, and Sasuke first – which means Karin immediately joins them. Then it’s just Sakura, Itachi, and Shikamaru at the table.

“You don’t need to keep me company,” Shikamaru tells them.

“Of course, we do,” Sakura protests. “This is your party, too, Shika.”

“I’m so glad you guys didn’t plan the whole stripper thing,” Shikamaru groans.

Sakura keeps her smile as natural as possible. “Yeah.”

Shikamaru excuses himself to the washroom and Sakura immediately turns to Itachi. “What are we going to do?”

He purses his lips. “Go ahead with the plan.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s tradition, right? I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

Sakura isn’t convinced. She also knows that Itachi isn’t some universal problem-fixer. He’s right. They will just have to continue their night as planned.

When Shikamaru returns, Naruto and Temari are with him.

“Sakura, come on! We gotta dance!” She lets Naruto bring her to her feet.

Temari falls on the couch beside Shikamaru. Sakura grabs Itachi’s hand a moment before she feels herself being dragged. Itachi stumbles slightly behind her, and she tightens her hold instinctively.

Naruto leads them through the crowd towards Hinata, Sasuke, and Karin. He freezes for a moment when he sees Karin practically draping herself over Sasuke. Sakura pushes him in the back to get him to move.

Feeling annoyed, she taps Karin on her shoulder to get her attention. “May I cut in?” Without really waiting for persmission, she frees Sasuke from her grasp.

“Thank you,” he says in her ear with apparent relief. “I didn’t know what to do without being rude.”

She pats his back sympathetically as they dance. Hinata, meanwhile, bless her soul, takes Karin back to the table to drink more. As soon as they disappear between gyrating bodies, Sakura steps away from Sasuke and goes to Itachi. Naruto takes his cue to join his friend.

Dancing with Itachi is a whole new experience. Sakura’s main intention was to let Naruto and Sasuke dance with each other, and ending up with Itachi became a complete coincidence. A pleasant one, but a coincidence, nonetheless.

Itachi pulls her close to him, and Sakura tells herself that it’s only because of the people around them who are pushing and pulling and there’s not much space to begin with. Itachi wraps his arms around her waist, and Sakura tells herself that it’s a way of dancing. Itachi leans down to rest his forehead on top of her head, and Sakura stops breathing.

They continue to move with no regards to the music spilling over the speakers. Sakura has her arms resting on his shoulders, and her eyes are firmly fixed on them. At one point, Itachi places a small kiss in her hair and Sakura has no idea what the hell to do with that.

She’s at the bridge, she realises. She thought she’d know what to do. The idea seems laughable now.

In fact, Sakura’s mind is utterly blank. Her world is nothing but this man in front of her, his solid body moving against hers, the warmth of his lips on her head reaching her toes.

Sakura thinks that maybe she should check on Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura also thinks that if she moves even a muscle above her neck right now, she might do something foolish. So she focuses on the necklace that is gracing Itachi’s throat.

It’s difficult not to notice the way his breath is fanning across her face. It’s difficult not to notice the way his fingers are lightly tracing the skin on her back in her backless dress. It’s difficult not to notice the way his collarbone looks biteable. But the most difficult of all is to resist the urge to kiss him right then and there.

Sakura entertains the idea for a bit. The chances of him not reciprocating are dwindling by the second. She wanted him to notice her, and she’s succeeded. _Now what_? She tries to think about what would happen if they do kiss. Will he expect more? Is she interested in more? Will it change their friendship permanently? Or will it be just a one-night stand situation? To get him out of her system?

She’s saved by Temari. Sakura hadn’t even noticed the blonde rejoining them, but she hasn’t felt so relieved in her life before. Temari tugs on her arm, completely ignoring Itachi, and drags Sakura away towards where Hinata and Karin are now dancing. Both of them are giving her funny looks. Sakura flushes; she feels as though she got caught doing something naughty.

She glances back at Itachi – now with Sasuke, Naruto, and Shikamaru – and he’s staring back at her with an unreadable face. Sakura has the strongest desire to go back to him, in their bubble, and stay there for the rest of the night.

She doesn’t tear her eyes away.

* * *

Sakura is well buzzed. They stumble back to one of the rooms – all eight of them – and she hopes that Hinata is in a better shape than she is. They still have two things planned for the night.

Itachi catches her as she is about to fall sideways on the bed, her heel being caught on the edge of the carpet. She giggles drunkenly as he straightens her. He’s smirking lazily back.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata arrange the chairs for everyone to sit on. Sakura picks out the seat beside Itachi again. They pop open another bottle of champagne amongst themselves.

Temari is about to question them what the hell is the plan, when there’s a knock on the door. When no one bothers to move, she rolls her eyes and gets to her feet.

The strippers they had requested have arrived, one man and one woman. Itachi takes out a packet of cigars from his suit jacket.

“You came prepared,” Sakura says, impressed.

“Obviously. Want one?”

“Obviously.”

They pass the cigars around as Temari and Shikamaru settle in their seats for entertainment. Shikamaru shoots Itachi a bemused look that has Sakura in stitches.

She has no idea what happens. Sakura is so drunk that she spends the stripper event trying to float through the high and not pass out. At one point, she realises that the male stripper is approaching her and she blinks to bring him into focus.

He sits on her lap. Sakura lets him entertain her with amusement. When the woman sits on Itachi’s lap, Sakura tries not to stare.

At one point, the man is around Sasuke. Naruto tries to get him to move away, but the man instead approaches Naruto and then Sasuke is sitting sourly. Sakura is laughing so hard that she feels Itachi steadying her with his arm.

Temari enjoys herself to the fullest. Hinata was right. The soon-to-be-bride has no regards to anyone in the room, and she’s unapologetic about being the focus of the strippers. Shikamaru even cracks a smile for a second.

By the end of their show, Sakura is struggling to stay awake. When the doors shut behind them, Hinata gets to her feet to announce their next destination.

“To the roof, everyone!” she says loudly.

Sasuke and Naruto groan, despite knowing that this was the plan all along. Sakura suspects that they are in no better shape than she is. Even Itachi is drunk. Maybe. She’s not sure. Karin has already passed out.

Sakura leans heavily against Itachi as they leave the room. Naruto and Sasuke are supporting each other. Hinata has her arm hooked with Temari’s. Shikamaru is the only one who looks like he always does, but Sakura thinks that he might be bleary around the edges.

They arrive on the roof.

“Shika,” Hinata turns to the man. “This part is dedicated to you. Your favourite activity: cloud watching. Sorry about the lack of clouds, though.”

Shikamaru is stunned.

“We thought that you’d enjoy making the transition from unmarried to married by watching the sky,” Itachi explains. “We knew that the dinner, the club, the strippers weren’t something you’d truly like. This is also a way for us to show you that some things won’t ever change, that you’d always have this one thing that you can do with us.”

Shikamaru doesn’t say anything for a moment. “Thank you,” he finally says sincerely. “Thank you. Really.”

Sasuke has grabbed a blanket from the room on his way up. Naruto helps him lay it down on the floor. All seven of them manage to squeeze on it somehow, laying down on their backs to watch the stars with Shikamaru.


	15. Sandstorms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what they say about the sands. One doesn’t return from the deserts, not really. It’s always a new person who does.

A week before the wedding Sakura has an epiphany.

She supposes that she could have realised it earlier, but since she’s been so busy with everything that has been happening, she completely missed the mark.

A week before the wedding, Sakura realises that she has allowed herself to be swept away in her rather romantic thoughts when it comes to Itachi. Sakura realises that she’s a woman of science, and despite knowing that love is merely a chemical reaction, she has given it more power than she is comfortable with.

She realises it when Dr. Orochimaru snaps at her during one of the surgeries when she accidentally nicks an artery. They do get the bleeding under control, and the surgery is successful, but Sakura struggles with her attention as it keeps drifting towards the exposed heart in the patient’s chest cavity. She finds its beats fascinating even though she has spent years watching the same. Even though Sakura has seen many hearts beat in many chest cavities, even though Sakura has held many hearts in her hand and found nothing romantic about it, she is fascinated with this heart – an utterly horrible time to be focusing on it, on top of that – and she can’t deny it any longer.

After enduring Dr. Orochimaru’s scolding post-surgery, Sakura goes to the residents’ lounge and falls back on the couch.

She takes a few steadying breaths because she’s suddenly acutely aware of her own thudding heart as Itachi flashes in her mind for the thousandth time that day.

She hasn’t been able to stop thinking about the man, suffice to say.

When everyone woke up on the roof of _Amaterasu_ , freezing, hungover, and tired, they quietly went to their respective rooms – and promptly fell asleep on the comfortable beds. Sakura bunked with Naruto, Hinata with Karin, Temari with Shikamaru, and Sasuke with Itachi.

When they came down to the lobby for check-out, Sakura glued herself to Hinata or Naruto, because she had no idea what to do with Itachi. She remembers the dinner, the club, the strippers, the roof – all of it. She remembers how she sought out Itachi in each of those events, knowingly or unknowingly, and the way Itachi hadn’t shied away but stayed put.

More than anything else, Sakura remembers him holding her close as they danced languidly to an upbeat music in the club.

Ever since they returned to their respective apartments, Sakura has pretended to be busy with her schedule, _If I’m going to take a few days off for the wedding, I need to cover as many shifts as possible now_. Similarly, Itachi has been busy with his own company and the wedding preparations with Hinata. Not to mention, Uncle Obito gave him a green signal for _Akatsuki_ show – Itachi is supposed to be going to the studio for the interview in the first week of January. Needless to say, he has been pouring over Danzo’s activities ruthlessly.

Sakura won’t go as far as to say that she is _in love with_ Itachi. That would be ridiculous. She hasn’t even dated the man, and has no idea how he is when it comes to romantic dimension of relationships. All she knows is that he’s dated in his life, and now he’s not. Sakura hasn’t forgotten about Samui in the least. In fact, she has been giving the blonde woman more thought than she should be.

Moreover, Sakura has no idea who Izumi is, Itachi’s friend from back home. Granted, Itachi said that it was the only long-term relationship he’s had, Sakura also knows that it was the _only_ long-term relationship he had. Surely, there must be a reason why he didn’t pursue the same with anyone else after Izumi.

Sakura thinks that maybe she can speak with Sasuke. Casually put these questions in conversations. It’ll be difficult because in her quest to avoid Itachi as much as possible, she has had to avoid Sasuke, too.

Maybe she can speak with Naruto, instead. Naruto grew up with the brothers, knows them as family, and he won’t make assumptions about her if she doesn’t want him to. Despite his open personality, Naruto is actually very good with maintaining emotional boundaries. He never lets anything faze him, takes everything in stride, and returns bullshit as it comes. Sakura knows for a fact that Naruto prefers to keep many friends, but only a handful of close friends. Then she wonders if she’s learned this because she has had to categorize people for Itachi’s sake. She remembers the easy days when it was only friends and not friends, and family. But then again, if she wants to go down the path of “easy days”, she’ll need more than a bottle of wine to get through _that_.

Sakura’s phone beeps. It’s Sasuke. **Movie marathon tonight?**

Sakura types out. _Define marathon._

**Avengers 2, Ant-Man, Captain America 3.**

They’ve already covered Iron Man 3, Thor 2 (this one was disappointing), Captain America 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy 1. She’s had more quarrels than she can count with Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto when it comes to the super-heroes. Apparently, Naruto loves Captain America as much as Itachi, if not more, Sasuke is all about Iron Man, and on top of Hulk, Sakura has taken a liking to the Black Widow and Thor. Itachi has bit her out more than enough times to stop changing sides during their heated arguments. He pointed out how she can’t make up her own mind.

 _Black Widow is a human assassin,_ he’d said with irritation _, Hulk is a human who becomes the monster, and Thor is a freaking God._

To which Sakura points out that at least she isn’t limiting herself. That didn’t sit well with Itachi, either, because he called her a hypocrite without missing a beat.

 _You’ve never liked anything other than medicine in your life. Let’s not discuss your view on variety_ , he’d rolled his eyes.

Here’s the thing: Sakura has realised many things recently. In fact, she has spent considerable amount of time muling over the events that have taken place ever since she moved into 10B.

Sakura realised that Itachi is as clueless as the next person. He is just as flawed, lost, and arrogant as the next person. Perhaps, a bit more arrogant, she allows. He isn’t perfect. He isn’t the best human being in the world. He’s been a paradox more than a few times, despite sounding so sure and confident about everything. Everything that he’s ever said to her, he’s gone ahead and contradicted himself.

He told her that _it’s okay to choose not to be a hero_. And then he admitted to not being satisfied with having a traditional and ordinary life, told her that he possesses a brilliant mind that deserves to be shined, picked out Danzo to break him down on national television that would – if things go as planned – inevitably bring him fame.

He told her that _it is what it is_. And then he’d told her how he regretted that things didn’t pan out the way he wanted them to, expressed his desire to travel after earning buttload of money, told her that _I find myself wanting more_.

He told her that _I possess a brilliant mind_. And then he’d admitted to not knowing things, not knowing what to do, wondering if his decisions have been a mistake until now.

Itachi is a walking, breathing genius paradox. And that’s something that Sakura finds downright fascinating about him. His internal conflicts, his arrogance, his brilliant mind, his desire to be resourceful in every situation even if he has no clue what’s right or wrong.

_“It’s all part of the process,” Kakashi always told her._

_“What process?” she asks one day._

_“The process of learning,” Kakashi says. “Of growing up.”_

That’s what Itachi is doing. That’s what Sakura herself is doing. They’re both learning. They’re both growing up. Sakura feels overwhelmingly honoured and privileged to be learning and growing up alongside someone like Itachi. Alongside someone _who is_ Itachi.

* * *

When Sakura knocks on the door to 10A, Naruto opens it. Sasuke is at the counter, making sandwiches. Itachi is sitting at his desk. Sakura keeps the bottle of rum on the breakfast bar and goes to stand behind Itachi to peer at the screen.

“What’s up, genius?”

After avoiding him for about a week, Sakura has to admit that it feels both liberating and apprehensive to be in his presence again.

“Meditating,” he says distractedly.

Sakura rolls her eyes and joins Naruto on the couch.

“Ready for the wedding?” Naruto grins at her. “Can’t believe that Shika is finally getting married. I mean, I never thought he’d be the first person to tie the knot. Always thought it would be Hinata.”

Sakura smiles, puzzled. “But Hinata isn’t even seeing anyone.”

Naruto smiles sheepishly and the rubs the back of his neck. It’s a dead give-away whenever he feels embarrassed. “I guess Hinata never mentioned it to you, but she sort of had a thing with Kiba long back.”

Sakura’s eyebrows shoot up. “Your friend Kiba who owns the garage?”

“Yeah. They were pretty serious.”

“Oh.” Hinata has never mentioned this to her. Sakura feels slightly betrayed at the revelation. And then she remembers that she isn’t the most open person out there. Sai was the one who ended up regaling Sakura’s pitiful dating life to them.

Still. She can’t help but feel a little discouraged.

Naruto shrugs at her expression. “Don’t take it personally,” he says, correctly assuming her internal conflict. “She doesn’t like to talk about it.”

“Why did they break up?”

Naruto sighs. “Status issues.”

“What?” Sakura stares, not being able to picture Hinata dissing anyone out due to something as fickle as status, or Kiba doing it to her. Granted, she only met the man twice until now for car-repair issues, but it is difficult to imagine him pushing away someone like Hinata.

“Kiba comes from a shitty background,” Naruto tells her before her imagination can take flight. “He’s doing well, today, obviously. But when they first began dating, he was struggling with a lot of things. And Hinata comes from a well-to-do family. Neji helped her with the investment in her shop and all. It wasn’t that they hated each other because of it. It’s just that Kiba never felt that he was on equal footing with her. It created quite some friction, and one day, they just broke up.”

“Are you telling her about Hinata?” Sasuke comes to sit beside Naruto and places the plate of sandwiches on the coffee table.

“Yeah.” Naruto grabs one piece and bites into it. “Shit, teme. These are so good.”

Sasuke smirks. “I know.”

“Hinata never dated anyone again?” Sakura asks the two. She’s starting to feel guilty now to have felt betrayed. Honestly, she is getting a little tired of _feeling_ so many things lately.

As though on reflex, her eyes swivel to Itachi’s still form in front of his laptop. He’s not paying attention to them in the least, and Sakura is both glad and disappointed. She shuts her eyes and, despite never having believed in the concept of God, throws a random prayer out there in the world for her well-being.

“Not really,” Sasuke admits. “We tried setting her up a few times, but she was never really into it.”

“She never liked anyone again?”

Sasuke purses his lips. Naruto has left the conversation for the sake of Sasuke’s sandwiches.

“I think it’s different,” Sasuke answers her slowly. “Hinata was in love with him. Maybe she still is. But she knows that it won’t work out unless and until Kiba feels comfortable with her – and everything that comes with her. Hinata might _like_ someone again, of course, but I doubt it would be the same.”

“Isn’t that enough?” Sakura asks, and feels her heart hammering against her ribcage for some reason. This has nothing to do with her, she tells herself, and the words fall flat and empty.

_This has nothing to do with Itachi._

“Isn’t it enough to like someone?” Sakura clarifies, forcing wayward thoughts out of her head.

“Of course, it’s enough,” Sasuke says thoughtfully. “But would you be satisfied with it if you knew there’s something or someone much better out there for you?”

_It’s okay to choose not to be a hero._

_But what if you’re born to become one?_

_What if you could be so much more than what you already are?_

_Wouldn’t you want it?_

Itachi is chasing Danzo, his dreams, his desired life. But so is Sakura.

Sakura thinks about what she wants in her life, the kind of life she hopes to lead. She’s been so preoccupied with Itachi lately, that she lost sight of her own goals. Of course, she’s still efficient at her job. She’s still the same surgeon who likes cutting people open.

_Or is she?_

Sakura’s take on life has drastically changed over the course of these months that she’s known her neighbours. As much credit she wants to give Itachi, she hasn’t forgotten about Sasuke’s value in her life. He truly is her “BFF” as Itachi so eloquently puts it.

Sasuke has shown her that it is possible to maintain your friendship and be true to that bond, no matter what. He has shown her that it is possible to love freely even if it hurts you, because love in itself is not the thing that hurts. The expectations that the word comes with, the inherent desire for reciprocation of love, is what truly hurts a person. He has shown her that it is possible to love and focus on that feeling alone, and not be utterly lost.

Sasuke once told her that he likes to watch the super-hero movies because _Sakura, it shows you that even the biggest threats in life can be defeated if you show courage._ He said that _that’s all it takes and you’d know because you became a real hero._

In fact, Sasuke was the first person to say _I’m so proud of you_ after the shooting and the bomb incident. Sakura understands it now. Sasuke is a person who truly believes in the ideas of real life heroes.

“Would you be the same as Hinata?” Sakura takes the plunge, and Sasuke and Naruto both tense at her question. “Would you stay single if you can’t be with the person you love?”

Sasuke is staring at her as if he can’t believe she would ask that in front of Naruto, and Naruto is staring at her in a similar fashion.

_“Of course, I want Sasuke!” Naruto snaps at her. “Who else will I want?”_

_“I know,” Sasuke rubs his forehead. “I guess I’m just scared. What if he realises that he doesn’t feel the same?”_

Sakura thinks that perhaps Temari is rubbing off on her more than she’d previously thought.

“Well?” she prods casually.

Sasuke sucks in a sharp breath. “Maybe,” he admits, resolutely ignoring Naruto’s presence. “I mean, I don’t think I’ll wait around forever. But it would be difficult to move on for sure.”

“What about you, Naruto?” she asks in the same casual voice.

She isn’t sure whom is she thinking about any longer: Hinata, herself, Itachi, Sasuke, or Naruto. Maybe all of them. She has the sudden desire to laugh at the absurdity of their entire situation. She wonders if this is a question that everyone struggles with, the question that binds people together.

“I’d chase the person until I wear them down,” Naruto answers, sounding thoughtful and surprised at his own words. He quickly glances at Sasuke and then just as quickly looks away. He sounds as though this is something he ought to be doing, but has simply forgotten that he ever had decided on it. “When I – _If_ I love someone, I think it would be very difficult for me to imagine not being with them.”

Sakura slowly smiles at the two men, eyes brimming with amusement and full of meaning. “I see. I’d love to see you both fall in love.”

Sasuke breaks the sudden tension with a scoff. “The chances of that happening are more than you ever loving a man.”

Itachi stiffens in his seat. Sakura thinks that maybe she imagined it, but with the way he is now getting to his feet, she reconsiders.

Sakura forces a roll of her eyes. This conversation sure did change sides quickly. “Yeah, yeah. Are we watching the movies or what?”

Itachi takes a seat beside her on the couch. “Yeah, I was promised a movie marathon,” he says dryly, “not a heart-to-heart about Sakura’s love life.”

She hits him in the shoulder.

* * *

It’s past midnight when they finish watching the third movie of their night – Captain America: The Civil War, and Sakura finds herself in the middle of Sasuke Vs Itachi and Naruto.

“Haven’t you guys already settled this?” Sakura snaps at one point. “I’m the only person here who has seen it for the first time ever and you guys are _still_ fighting your version of the Civil War.”

She’s just watched Captain America going against Tony Stark, and isn’t sure which to focus more upon: the movie or the men taking sides.

Sasuke rolls his eyes at her. “Sakura, this will _never_ be sorted. Trust me.”

“Exactly,” Naruto agrees. “Just wait and watch. This is not the end of their feud.”

“But you haven’t picked a side yet,” Itachi reminds her.

“I don’t need to,” Sakura points out.

The three of them stare at her in horror. Sakura thinks it pretty ironic that, out of everything, _this_ is what they agree upon.

* * *

Sakura, Hinata, Karin, and Temari enter the bridal suite. It’s spacious, white with traditional ornamental cornices, and comfortably furnished. Hinata and Itachi have forgone traditional and practical settings because they’ve set up a large gazebo smack dab in the desert where both the wedding and reception are to take place. The nearby B&B has been booked for the bridal party to stay at. The guests are to arrive directly at the venue.

The wedding is this evening at six. Sakura spends the day with the women as they drink champagne, help Temari with getting ready, with Hinata flitting in and out to manage the event. As the Maid of Honor, Hinata has strictly forbidden the men from being seen anywhere near Temari’s suite with the exception of Itachi who is to knock on the door and wait for Hinata to come out.

Sakura thinks that perhaps Hinata is experiencing wedding jitters more intensely than Temari, who is coolly sipping her alcohol and cracking jokes with Karin.

Sakura herself is a bit freaked out, if she is completely honest. She has never been in anyone’s bridal party before, and she knows, she _knows_ that all she has to do is walk down the aisle with Sasuke and follow Hinata’s lead for the rest of the evening.

When the clock strikes four thirty, she decides that it would be a good idea to start getting ready herself, so that she can be available for Temari if needed. The dress that they’ve selected for the bridesmaid is wine colored, as Itachi had suggested months ago, floor-length with thin straps and a deep back. It’s classy yet simple, and she feels pretty just to be wearing it.

Which is nothing compared to how Temari looks in her wedding dress.

Sakura had gone with the women to buy the dress. She knows how it is, and how well it suits Temari. To be seeing it on her wedding day, though, is a whole different experience.

The dress is modest with a high collar and full sleeves made of lace, and has the mermaid shape to the bodice. Temari has her hair done in a tasteful, intricate bun to show off the neckline. She’s also forgone the veil completely, choosing instead to thread white flowers on her head. Sakura knows that one’s wedding day is not the best day of someone’s life – _there are many more important things in life than a marriage,_ Kakashi had told her, but she cannot deny that Temari has never appeared so happy before as long as Sakura has known the blonde.

Hinata cries happy tears, Karin keeps complimenting Temari, and all Sakura manages is to stare at her, gobsmacked.

Hinata leads them to the entrance of the gazebo when it’s time to get the show on the road – quite literally. They meet up with the men – all dressed in black tuxedoes except for Shikamaru who is donned in a midnight blue one, and Sakura struggles with keeping her eyes evenly on _all_ of them and not just Itachi. It’s rather difficult because he’s wearing his glasses again.

Sasuke joins her, and Naruto walks over to Karin. Itachi approaches them after he exchanges a few quick words with Hinata. Shikamaru is made to enter first before Temari can be allowed to be seen by him. As soon as she gets the green signal from Hinata, she enters, and Sasuke and Naruto immediately begin a steady stream of compliments for her.

Itachi takes the chance to speak with Sakura. “All good?” he asks.

Sakura blinks up at him. _Is he wearing black eyeliner?_

“Sakura?” he frowns when she doesn’t say anything.

She gulps. “Yeah. All good. How’s Shika doing?”

Itachi chuckles. “I’m not sure whether to be surprised by his lack of enthusiasm into planning an escape. I kept waiting for him to launch into his Marriage Is A Social Convention speech.”

Sakura laughs. “I bet.”

Itachi holds her gaze for a few more moments, but doesn’t say anything. Sakura doesn’t, either. They break the contact when Sasuke rejoins her.

“Right,” Itachi clears his throat. “Let’s get this started.”

Sakura watches as Hinata disappears through the doors with Itachi, and then Karin walks with Naruto. Sakura is next and she hooks her arm with Sasuke’s and takes a deep breath. With a last look over her shoulder towards Temari and her father, she begins to make her way down the aisle.

The crowd gets to their feet when the wedding march plays and Temari appears, grinning and glowing and content.

The ceremony goes by without a hitch. When the official tells them to take their vows, Sakura is holding hands with Hinata.

Shikamaru goes first and he talks about how Temari is the only woman he will move his ass for, which has Temari in stitches, and she has to take a few steadying breaths before saying her bit. She tells him how she loves him the way he is and she couldn’t have him any other way.

After they’re declared husband and wife, they retreat to the B&B together so that the place can be transformed into the reception area. All the guests are asked to wait in a temporary tent until then.

Sakura hangs back with the rest of the bridal party to help. By the time they’re done – it only takes half an hour, and she can’t believe Itachi’s efficiency – because the gazebo looks completely different. The walls have been torn down, and the entire structure is now only the dome and five columns, with the night sky above them and desert sprawling everywhere one can see. The lights come on, and Sakura’s breathing stops at how absolutely beautiful it is.

* * *

When Sakura is speaking with Sasuke during the reception at one point, Naruto comes over with a determined expression.

“Teme,” he begins.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. “Yeah? What’s up?”

Naruto’s eye flit towards Sakura’s for a second before settling on Sasuke again. “Can I … I mean, may I …”

Sasuke frowns. “What’s wrong?”

Naruto’s cheeks flush. “Nothing! Nothing’s wrong. I just … doyouwanttodancewithme?”

Sakura quickly snaps her neck in a random direction. She thinks she might do something foolish like laugh loudly or point at them and say _Finally!_

“You want to dance?” Sasuke eventually asks in a strained voice. “With me?”

“Yeah,” Naruto says nervously. “Unless … unless you don’t want to. I just thought it would be so cool, you know, and I know it might sound odd because we’ve never danced before, I mean, obviously we’ve _danced_ but like, not like this. And I totally understand if you don’t want to, if you think it’s weird or anything, you can just forget I ever asked, actually –”

“No, let’s dance,” Sasuke cuts in.

Silence. Sakura chances a peek. They’re both blushing hard and Sakura has the strangest desire to pinch their cheeks.

“Really?” Naruto stares. “You want to? Like an actual slow dance? That’s what I meant, by the way, if I wasn’t clear earlier. I meant like a … like a …”

“Romantic dance?” Sakura suggests, unable to stop herself.

Naruto blushes even harder. “Yes,” he says resolutely, despite his earlier nervous stutter. “Yes. Like a romantic dance.” Then he loses his steam again. “Unless, you don’t want to! I just felt like I should ask because I think I’d really love a dance, but of course, like I said, if it’s weird or anything –”

“No,” Sasuke cuts in again. “Let’s dance,” he repeats with a tiny, pretty smile.

It takes Naruto a few moments to get his bearings together. He eventually offers his arm to Sasuke and they walk to the dance floor. Sakura immediately seeks out Itachi. She finds him standing with a few guests on the other side of the gazebo. She quickly strides over.

“Hey,” she cuts in, not bothering with social niceties. She’s too excited for it. “Can we talk?”

Itachi excuses himself and they stand on the edge, where the temporary flooring meets the sand.

“Look at that,” she points towards the dance floor with a grin. Naruto and Sasuke are slow-dancing, grinning at each other, with red faces.

“Finally,” Itachi beams at her. “I must say, I am a little disappointed, though.”

“What? Why?”

He shrugs. “I was rather enjoying the mystery.”

Sakura rolls her eyes. “He’s your brother.”

He gives her a bemused stare. “I’m aware, Sakura. What’s your point?”

She chuckles despite herself. “Nothing. What are your Christmas plans, anyway?”

“We’re visiting Konoha,” he says. “You’ll be staying here itself, right?”

“Yeah. With Uncle Gai and Lee. Kakashi and Uncle Obito are arriving in the morning.”

“Who’s Lee?” Itachi asks as he grabs two glasses of champagne from a passing server. He hands her one of it.

“Thanks.” She takes a few sips. “Can we go out? I really want to walk on the sand.”

Itachi considers. “I suppose. I don’t think I need to be here any longer.”

Itachi’s best man speech was exactly how Sakura had pictured it. He began by explaining how he didn’t know what he was doing standing there giving a speech, but that Shikamaru had said that _I’m supposed to be using this opportunity to applaude his various good qualities._ And then he went on to explain that one of Shikamaru’s best qualities was that he chose Temari.

Before she can take a step outside, though, he stops her. He hands her his glass, shrugs out of his jacket, takes his glass back, and hands the jacket to her instead.

“You can’t feel the cold here because of the heaters,” he explains.

“What about you?” She doesn’t make a move to grab the jacket.

“Point,” he says. “Let me grab Sasuke’s jacket. Wait here.”

Sakura watches in fascination as he wears his jacket again, and then goes to interrupt Sasuke and Naruto’s dance only to take Sasuke’s jacket from him, and returns to her.

“Here,” he says and hands it out.

Sakura shrugs it on. She removes her heels and places them behind a nearby decorative potted plant. Itachi follows her thinking. They carry their glasses with them as they leave the gazebo and start moving in a random direction, barefeet. Itachi was right. The air is cold and her feet sink a couple of inches in the sand. The alcohol and Sasuke’s jacket helps.

They walk in silence, mostly because Sakura doesn’t have anything to say, and she doesn’t think that she wants to say anything. The sky is lit with hundreds of stars, and Sakura is taken back to the roof of her apartment building, when Itachi had asked her _did you know that we are made of star stuff?_

Sakura keeps glancing back at the well-lit gazebo. She remembers her days in Suna when she used to follow Sasori in these very sands as his quest-mate. She thinks that maybe she should be worried about crabs or snakes or any other desert creature, but she honestly thinks that she’s much more terrified of Itachi’s presence beside her.

Suddenly, she starts to question her stupid idea. She knows that she only wanted to have a few moments alone with the man – something that she hasn’t received ever since their dance at _Amaterasu_.

Sakura wonders what is it with her and wanting to spend nights with Itachi, speaking about lost patients or Kakashi’s teachings or Uncle Obito’s _all in good time_. Ever since the night at the roof, she has realised that she loves being in Itachi’s presence simply _because_.

“All set for Danzo?” she finally asks in the silence.

“Yes,” Itachi says. “Just waiting for January, now.”

“What happens if the interview is successful?”

Itachi shrugs lightly. “I start a conversation.”

“Is any of it illegal? What he does?”

“Not exactly,” Itachi says slowly. “It’s shady business, puts question marks on his ethical code of conduct, but he stays within the law.”

“All of this would have been so much simpler if he didn’t,” Sakura sighs.

He throws her a look. “Are you still worried?”

Sakura frowns up at him, even as they walk side by side, still in a random direction, still keeping the gazebo in sight. “Obviously. I’m allowed to be worried as a friend. We already covered that.”

Itachi suddenly stops to face her. Sakura’s apprehension rises steadily.

“I want to talk,” he states seriously.

“Okay …”

“Sakura,” he begins, “is that what we are? Friends?”


	16. Diamonds in the Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name dedicated to the feeling of stars.

Sakura stares at him, her heart thudding _ba dum ba dum ba dum ba dum_ , the glass between her fingers trembling slightly. “What?”

Itachi holds her gaze, as steady as always. “Is what we are defined as friends?”

And Sakura remembers that Itachi has categories, feels a bit foolish because she hadn’t exactly _forgotten_ about it – but it did leave her mind for a bit there.

“You don’t think so?” she asks instead, forcing the words out of her throat.

He doesn’t budge. “I know that we are friends. But I also think that we are not.”

“How so?” she questions and hopes with all her might that this works, that he ends up explaining what they are before she has to, because she has no idea where the hell to even begin. Maybe he has a better shot at it than she does.

“You’re not the first friend I’ve had,” he says instead.

“I know that.”

“Sakura,” he begins to sound uncertain and she immediately feels guilty. Itachi and uncertainity doesn’t sit well with her. “I think you’re aware of what I’m speaking about. I am not friends with you the way I am friends with Hinata or Temari or any other female friend I’ve made in my life.”

“Who am I like, then?”

He hesitates. “Izumi,” he admits. “You’re like Izumi.”

Sakura wonders if hearts can physically break, despite being a surgeon, despite having held the organ in her very palms, despite knowing that it is an impossibility.

“Right,” she blinks and her jaw clenches. “Your ex.”

Maybe there is a reason why it was the _only_ long-term relationship Itachi has had, after all.

“Yes,” he says. “My ex.”

“Right,” she repeats, not knowing how to respond to this.

“But,” Itachi continues uncertainly and almost shyly, “not really, either.”

A rush of _something_ courses through her. She steadies herself. “Yeah?”

“Yes,” he answers.

“How am I different?”

Itachi smirks. “She’s nearly not as annoying as you are.”

Sakura rolls her eyes, the spell between them breaking. She wonders if it was Itachi’s purpose, and then wonders _why_. Maybe he isn’t enthusiastic about discussing their vague relation, either. Which leads her to her next conflict.

_How long until?_

Sakura has no doubt whatsoever that whatever the hell this is that’s going on between them will never simply _faze out_ with time. She knows now that things will implode one day, and before that happens, she has to make a decision which side she wants to be on.

The thought of not having Itachi in her life at some point feels strange. Empty. She knows that it’s a ridiculous notion because she’s lived twenty-five years without the man and she’s been just fine.

_But would you be satisfied with it if you knew there’s something or someone much better out there for you?_

No, Sakura decides in an instant. She will not be satisfied to _settle_ for anything less, now that she has gotten a taste of how richer her life became since she moved into 10B. Sakura doesn’t think much about her life before 10B, mostly because there was nothing much to think about. She kept herself busy with her work, her career, her medicine, and nothing else. She maintained one friend at the hospital, and two virtual friends – Sai and Shizune. And now, _now_ , Sakura has Sasuke and Naruto and Hinata and Temari and Shikamaru and –

 _Itachi_.

Even if Kakashi and Uncle Obito haven’t explicitly expressed anything, Sakura knows that her fathers are glad to see her expanding her social life, her social support system. The incidents of the shooting and the accidental potential bombing have been pivotal in her life. It made her realise that she really does have a support system, something that she has chased her whole life. Something she was unintentionally robbed off while growing up.

It made her realise that she is not a coward. Or maybe, she _stopped_ being a coward. She decides that it doesn’t matter because the point is that _she is not a coward_.

She may not be Hulk, or Iron Man, or Captain America, but she did operate at gunpoint and lived to tell the tale. She did hold a live bomb in her hands and lived to tell the tale. And she will definitely live to tell the tale if –

“How am I different?” she repeats the question, holding his eyes this time, and trying her best to convey that this is not the time to be … _them_.

Itachi stays silent but stares back with same intensity.

“How am I different?” she asks again, more firmly.

He eventually speaks. “You have pink hair. She has brown.”

“Itachi.”

“She’s taller than you are.”

“Itachi.”

“She’s soft-spoken, and doesn’t fight with me on every little thing.”

“ _Itachi –”_

“And I don’t think about her constantly the way I think about you.”

Sakura’s jaw snaps shut. There’s a beat of silence and the sand between her toes, the stars above her head, the distant lights of the gazebo melt away, and only Itachi stays.

“You’ve managed to worm your way into my very essence,” he continues, his voice deep and serious and Sakura feels it like a warm, familiar, worn-out comforter on a chilly night. “You made me question my life. You made me reconsider everything that I’d been ready to accept. You came into my life, Sakura, and I got reminded that I can be so much more, that I don’t have to settle for running a small business, that I don’t have to settle for things just because the people around me expected it from me. Expected me to be ordinary because they decided that it was in my best interest. Telling you that I possess a brilliant mind made me _remember_ that I do possess a brilliant mind. You keep addressing me as genius, and I know it’s a small thing – not that big of a deal – but it makes me truly happy. You’ve never been intimidated by me, you’ve accepted me for the way I am, and you’re still sticking around.

“You challenge me, and that is one thing I value more than I can possibly put into words. When you faced life-and-death, not once but twice, I panicked. I was terrified that I’d lose this one person who doesn’t mind that I’m arrogant and condescending and cocky and a borderline psychopath perhaps. I was terrified, but I also envied you. You were able to pull off an incredible feat in the face of danger. You were a _doctor_ through and through, Sakura. You were yourself, even if what you were scared you.

“I’m going to go against Danzo because I want to, not because I’m supposed to. You made me realise that what I want does matter, and I can’t thank you enough for that.

“You’re different than Izumi because, Sakura, you’re the woman I want to be with. Not Izumi, not Samui, not anyone else. I don’t think of you as a friend because I don’t _want_ to be your friend.”

Sakura isn’t an idiot, despite what Temari keeps saying. She isn’t as clueless or useless as Sasuke and Naruto make her out to be when it comes to all non-medicine things. And Hinata may have said that doctors are about _having a strong spirit as well_ , but Sakura thinks that it is yet to be tested.

Itachi doesn’t let her look away. She honestly doesn’t want to, because the world has narrowed down to him, and speaking with him is the most important thing she’d ever do.

“You’re going to leave one day.”

“Yes,” he says calmly.

“Because you want to see the Large Hadron Collidor and the domes in India. You want to see what the stars have given birth to on our planet.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Itachi.”

“I’m aware.”

She nods, biting her lip, hard. “So that’s that, then.”

_Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’tcry, don’tfuckingcry._

“And,” she continues, repeating the mantra in her head, scared to be quiet because the quiet feels suddenly terrifying, “Sasuke is here. My job is here. I’m the Chief Resident, you know. One day, I might become an Attendant. And then, hopefully, even the Chief.”

“And then?” he asks.

“And then _nothing_ ,” she says forcefully, and her voice breaks. Before she can stop it, _don’t cry, don’t cry, don’tfuckingcry, godfuckdammit,_ she’s crying. “I’m a surgeon. This is what I do, this is what I _want_ to do. I want to feel dead on my feet after a day of surgeries. I want to have a messy routine. I don’t want many holidays, I don’t _understand_ what to do with them! I’m not the type of doctor who stays with no money in some underprivileged village to help poor people. I’m not. I like the city, I like to have money, I like an expensive restaurant, and I like a well-equipped hospital, with a well-equipped staff, and I really don’t want to operate in a fucking storage room if I can help it.”

The tears are freely spilling out, and Sakura feels the need to raise her voice because she can’t stay quiet any more, because the quiet feels suddenly terrifying. “And then, there’s you – you stupid, foolish, _annoying_ fucking genius who wants an extraordinary life and believes that living like a goddamn hermit is the solution to all your problems!”

“Sakura –”

“ _No_ ,” she says louder still, now angry with him and herself and everything and nothing in particular, all at the same time. “No, you listen to me, Uchiha Itachi. I’m not going to wait around, you hear me? I’m not. I _won’t_. I saw what it did to Kakashi and Uncle Obito. They’re still living their life as if something is going to happen, and they’ll suddenly know what to do with themselves. I’m not going to be like that.

“You’re –” her voice cracks even more, and she clears it roughly. “You’re meant to do big things. You’re meant to be out there, not within four walls. You’re born to fly, and I’m not going to get in the way of that. What I’m going to do is continue to be the doctor. That’s what I’m meant to do.”

Itachi’s face is crumpled in pain and regret, and it’s enough to make her cry harder. He doesn’t offer her a hug this time, and neither does she. They stay there, with sand between their toes, allowing the terrifying silence of the world to speak for them.

* * *

Lee hasn’t changed one bit.

Sakura finds it more amusing than anything else, and the way he constantly keeps complimenting her is rather sweet. The last time they were together in Uncle Gai’s house, Sakura was still in college, and Lee had taken pity on her. He used to insist on sight-seeing in that tiny window of time when he’d come for holidays and she’d leave for hers.

This time, it’s no different, despite Kakashi and Uncle Obito’s presence.

Lee takes her out to the nearby flee market on the day of Christmas Eve, because _they have all these beautiful things brimming with youth, Sakura!_

The place is packed. Lee holds her hand as they meander through the crowd, stopping by every stall and checking out the items. It seems as though Lee loves to shop, and he would buy the most random of things, too, because who would want to hang a windchime of ugly frogs in their windows?

He even buys a miniature cherry blossom tree inside a glass globe, buried in fake snow.

“For your namesake,” he grins, pleased with himself, and hands it to her.

It’s quite a paradox, cherry blossom tree blooming in dark winters.

_Black hair and black eyes, black fitting shirts –_

_The night sky sprinkled with millions of stars –_

Sakura blinks down at it. It is rather pretty, though. “Thanks, Lee.”

He shoots her an odd look for a moment, before pulling her ahead to the next stall.

* * *

They’re standing on the roof of the tallest building in Suna in the evening. It’s a famous tourist spot; people visit the place because they can see miles and miles of sand surrounding the small city. And Sakura thinks how just yesterday, she was _in there somewhere and –_

“Let’s click a photo!” Lee announces and takes out his phone.

Sakura smiles in the camera as Lee wraps his hand around her shoulder, and pulls her close. He thanks the woman who clicked it for them, and checks the photo. Sakura turns around to face the railing.

She thinks that she hates Suna, a little bit. She first came to the city when she was only fifteen, and met Uncle Gai – the larger than life gym trainer. He became the parent figure for her over the years, as she struggled with adjusting to the age gap between her and the rest of the students. Granted, it was only three years – and three years is nothing in the grand scheme of things – but it meant the world to her when the gap was fifteen and eighteen, the age when you’re supposed to transition from a teenager to a young adult and a lot can happen in that gap.

Sakura’s college life was lonely at best. It was punctuated with Sasori’s rare company when she’d come to Suna, and then she began looking forward to the holidays, when she’d be able to return to Kakashi and Uncle Obito. When she befriended Sai and Shizune and Utakata in pre-med, she struggled with the abrupt social circle she’d managed to spawn for the first time in her life. It didn’t last for long, with Utakata leaving to travel, and then they were supposed to go off for their internships, and she’d met Ino.

So yes, Sakura hates Suna – just a little bit. Because not only was she lonely during college, but now it’s the city where she broke Itachi’s heart. And she wonders how long it will take for it to feel okay.

* * *

After dinner, Kakashi and Uncle Obito find her in the backyard, sitting on the grass, looking up at the stars. _Itachi is made of –_

“Hey, doll?”

Kakashi and Uncle Obito sit down on either side of her, mirroring her position to gaze up at the sky.

“Everything okay?” Uncle Obito asks carefully.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

A brief pause. Sakura can _feel_ them exchanging a look behind her back.

“You seem a little down,” Kakashi tells her.

 _Down is an understatement_. “I’m okay.”

“How was the wedding, sweetheart?” Uncle Obito prods softly.

Sakura shrugs. “Like a wedding,” she replies emptily. “They dressed up, took vows, exchanged rings, there was cake and dancing, and now they’re going to live happily ever after.” She thinks she might be sounding a little bitter, but doesn’t find it in herself to truly care.

“Anything else happened?” Kakashi asks coolly.

“Sasuke and Naruto finally had their epic romantic moment,” Sakura tells them, and despite all the _utter shittiness_ coursing through her very nerves, she cracks a small smile when she remembers it. “Mind you, it was only a dance, but they finally took the plunge.”

“That’s wonderful,” Uncle Obito says with a smile. “I’m glad it worked out for them.”

“Yeah, me, too. Things are really changing around here, huh?” she remarks. “Temari and Shika are married, Naruto and Sasuke got together, and I –” she stops abruptly, her eyes stinging with zero warning.

“You, what?” Uncle Obito encourages gently. “Tell us.”

“It’s nothing,” she says thickly. “Nothing at all.”

Kakashi tsks. “I didn’t raise a bullshitter, doll. Out with it, now, come on.”

The stars are innocently blinking back at her. For one absurd moment, Sakura thinks that maybe they are at fault, because if it weren’t for them, Itachi would be staying. Of course, that’s ridiculous, downright unreasonable, and she thinks that a heartbreak should not warrant a vengeance of epic proportions.

 _Stars are gates to the past,_ Itachi had once said. _They’re millions of light years away. By the time we can see them, the moment has already passed. The stars could be dying this very second, for all we know._

Of course, Sakura had known that. But she let him speak because he said it well, and she didn’t mind listening to his voice. Sakura thinks how everytime she sees the stars now, she’s in the past herself, on the roof, when Itachi said we’re made of –

_Stop._

“Have you never been in love?” she asks instead.

Another brief moment of silence. “Why do you ask?” Kakashi says.

“Because you’re still single.”

“I’m okay with it,” he answers slowly.

“How?” She blinks rapidly. “Have you never met someone who is just so overwhelming that you can’t _breathe_? That it hurts just to think of them? And that’s a big fucking problem, you see, because you can’t _not_ think of them. They’re there, constantly, filling my mind with all the annoying words and the irritating habits and sounding like a pompous ass. Even now, all I can think about is how he loved to say he’s a CEO, and then it’s all about how he wants to leave and get away, as if it means nothing. In a few months or any day now, he’ll just pack his bags and leave. He always tells me I’m such a hypocrite, and as always, he’s right.”

“You’re not a hypocrite, sweetheart,” Uncle Obito says patiently.

“But I am,” Sakura insists. “I want him to follow his dreams, and I’m also angry at him for doing it. I know that he doesn’t want to stay here, he feels suffocated, but I don’t want him to leave, either. I want to be able to see him, eat with him, and watch movies with him, and I know that’s very selfish of me, but I want an ordinary life, Dad. I’ve always wanted one, and I feel like I can’t catch a fucking break!”

Sakura buries her face in her hands, unable to stop the tears. She feels Kakashi’s arms around her, and she leans into his solid chest, clutching at his sweater. Uncle Obito strokes her hair.

“Why would you want an ordinary life,” Kakashi says softly, “when you’re born to be extraordinary?”


	17. Wave-Particle Duality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The concepts introduced in this chapter are purely based on my working knowledge. Please note that this is not an attempt at propagation in any shape or form.
> 
> *slowly rising up with a white flag*
> 
> Chapter name is dedicated to Einstein's first experiment and eventual theory developed by Louis de Broglie and other physicists, called the wave-particle duality, which theorised how a photon (the smallest electromagnetic unit we currently know) has the physical properties of both a particle and a wave. It was seen in experiments that when a given particle is being measured, it acts as a normal particle. But when the measurement equipment is removed, when you're not paying attention to it essentially, the same particle acts like a wave. This theory also gave rise to the idea of a multi-verse, supported by legit mathematical equations.

Sakura returns to her apartment a day after Christmas. There are no voices coming from 10A, and she's grateful that they're both in Konoha, despite feeling strangely lonely. She hadn't realised how much they'd become a part of her daily life – the coffees, the dinners, the movies, the bickering, the peaceful evenings spent in relative silence. Uncle Obito told her that the interview will take place on the 4th of January, the very next day that Itachi and Sasuke are due to return.

So Sakura spends her days at the hospital, surrounding herself with work and as many surgeries as she could get her hands on. It works, because not everyone is hoping to dip their hands in blood around Christmas and New Year's Eve.

What she does not expect, however, is a familiar man with black hair and black eyes sitting in the hospital cafeteria one afternoon, eating salad as though he belongs there. Surprised, Sakura approaches him and pulls out a seat.

"What are you doing here?"

Sai blinks at her. "I came to meet Ino."

"But she's not here."

"Not right now, no," Sai frowns. "She's joining me in a bit."

Sakura opens her mouth a few times and closes it, not knowing where to even begin. "Right," she finally says. "And you are meeting Ino because …?"

Sai tilts his head at her as though examining a rare species. "Because I want to."

"Right," she repeats. "And you want to meet her because …?"

"Sakura," he places his fork on the plate and faces her seriously. "You're aware that I'm not very good at this. It sounds as though you are jealous."

She stares blankly. Blinking rapidly, she assumes the face of a goldfish once more. "No," she eventually clarifies. "I'm not jealous. I'm curious."

"One and the same thing," Sai dismisses it mildly.

"No," she corrects him. "It's really not."

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. "But jealous people are usually the most curious."

"What?" To Sakura, this sounds like the stuff Kakashi or Uncle Obito would tell her when she was five years old.

"Remember how your neighbour kept asking me things?" Sai reminds her. "He sounded rather jealous."

She forces the thoughts away instantly. "I'm not jealous, Sai. I'm asking you because you and Ino are my friends, and neither of you mentioned anything about … this."

"About what?"

"Why you're coming all the way from Kiri to meet her," she explains, feeling a bit stupid while doing so.

And then Sai does look at her as though she is stupid. "I told you," he says patiently. "I'm meeting her because I want to."

Sakura gives up. "Okay. That's great, Sai. Are you staying for a few days?"

He smiles. "Yes. I'll be staying with Ino. I'll head back to Kiri after New Year's."

She's surprised to hear it. Last time they met, Sai was adamant about working through his vacation days. "You took a voluntary holiday?"

He nods, still smiling. "I wanted to spend time with her," he says again.

"What about your job?" she frowns.

Sai shrugs and picks up his fork again to continue eating. "I have many holidays piled up. I decided to use them."

"To meet her?"

"Yes. I don't understand why this is so difficult for you to comprehend, Sakura. I thought you were intellectually gifted."

She glares at him, but he isn't paying attention anymore. Sakura decides to go and get her own plate of food. When she returns to the table, Ino has arrived.

"…and we'll go to Chouji's Bar," Ino is saying excitedly. "He has the best draught beer in the city! And we can visit the museum, and the park, and there's this amazing restaurant down by Naka Street and they serve the best Thai food! Hey, Sakura. Look who's here! Sai came to surprise me. Isn't he so sweet?"

Sakura bites her lip to stop herself from grinning like a maniac. "Yeah. So sweet. Are you guys dating?"

Ino blushes. Her arm is hooked with Sai's and the man seems to be rather happy with the setting. "Kind of," she replies. "We've stayed in touch, and … I don't know."

Sakura watches the two of them share shy smiles and she starts to feel awkward, as if she's intruding. She spots Shino near the juice bar, and waves him over quickly.

"Hello," he sits down at the table with his lunch tray. "You must be Sai."

"Yes," Sai smiles.

"I'm Dr. Aburame Shino. Orthopaedic resident. It's very nice to finally meet you."

Sakura frowns at the exchange. "How do you know about Sai?"

Shino throws her a bemused look. "Were you hiding under a rock? Ino hasn't shut up about him for months."

"What?" Sakura stares at Ino, feeling betrayed. The blonde woman flushes under her critical watch, but mirrors the disapproving look.

"You've been busy," Ino says lightly. "And Sai is your ex-boyfriend. I didn't know what to say to you."

"Isn't that precisely why you should have told me?"

"See?" Sai says in astonishment. "You do sound jealous."

"Sakura, please," Ino scoffs, not letting her get a word in. "You haven't been paying much attention in months now. I didn't think you even cared."

"Why wouldn't I care?" Sakura's defences rise immediately. "Of course, I care, Ino! Sai is my friend. You're my friend."

_I feel like I'm back in high school._

Sakura bristles internally. _Stop. Thinking._

She sucks in a sharp breath to steady her mind. "Anyway," she purposefully drawls. "I'm very happy for you two."

Ino smiles back, the argument dissolving as instantly as it was going to begin. "Thank you."

"No holiday plans, Sakura?" Shino asks her.

Sakura gratefully turns to him. Ino and Sai seem to have gone back in their bubble, talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Breaking records," she grins at the man in response. "Can't wait to see what we get this time for Drunken Surgeries. What about you?"

"Same," Shino shrugs lightly.

Sai suddenly laughs out loud, and Sakura moves reflexively, and when she sees them – arms still hooked, faces close together, grinning at each other, she is reminded of Shikamaru – the way he looks at Temari.

_You do sound jealous._

Maybe a little, Sakura allows.

* * *

Sakura is _this_ close to screaming in frustration.

Tenten has been trying to steal her surgeries for better part of the evening. As soon as the ambulances arrived three hours ago, filled with promising gruesome blood-splattered humans, Sakura has moved around the Trauma Centre (all hands on deck, the Chief had ordered), trying to find patients who needed surgeries because –

Sakura is a surgeon. She isn't supposed to be in the pit, putting Band-Aid on people.

Tenten, the snake, has magically appeared everywhere when there's a promising patient, and picked fights with her with illogical justifications. Amidst their bickering, the Attendants gave it all away to the other surgeons.

And when Tenten pops out of thin air yet again for what feels like the hundredth time of that evening, Sakura loses it.

"Stop stalking me!" Sakura says angrily. "Have some dignity, for fuck's sake."

"Language," the patient interrupts. He's a priest who became the victim of some drunken group of people, and now has a metal rod protruding from his abdomen.

With no regards to the man's profession, Sakura shoots him a warning glare.

"This is not even your field," Tenten points out rather smugly. "You're not a general surgeon, Dr. Haruno."

"I know that," Sakura snarls. "But neither are you."

Tenten shrugs coolly. "I thought you're Dr. Orochimaru's student. I was under the impression that you're more capable than this – taking on general surgery. Look at you."

"All professions are equal," the priest reprimands her.

Both the women ignore him. "You can't even get your own surgeries," Sakura snaps. "I hardly think you're in any position to act like the All-Mighty."

"Don't use the God's name in vain," the priest interrupts yet again.

They ignore him again. "You're wasting time," Tenten says condescendingly. "He'll bleed out. Just get out of the way already."

"Come on, now," the priest chides. "We can be civil about this."

"Shut up!" Sakura finally barks at him. "This is not about you."

He raises his eyebrows. "I'd think so, Doctor. The rod is in my stomach, not yours."

"And I'm going to be the one removing it."

"Not exactly," Tenten cuts in.

"This isn't about you, either," the priest points out lightly. "This is about removing the metal. And this doctor is correct, it needs to be done as soon as possible. I don't believe that I'm in the best position right now."

Sakura frowns at him, feeling highly offended. "You're not going to bleed out. The rod is in such a way that the arteries are blocked. It's stopping the heavy flow. And all the vital organs have been missed."

"Even so," he says patiently. "It hurts."

"You don't look as if you're in pain," Tenten remarks.

"Just because you don't see something does not dispprove its existence."

Sakura rolls her eyes. _Here we go_. Since she's already given up on maintaining her bedside manners, she doesn't feel all that worried about what she says next. "Please do not bring your God in this."

"I don't need to," he smiles. "God is omnipresent. Besides, I was referring to pain. Just because I'm not screaming does not mean I'm not hurting."

"Right," Sakura says awkwardly. She begins to feel small somehow, and wonders if people become religious for the priest, and not the God.

Sakura manages to snag the surgery when the Chief shows up two minutes later in the middle of another one of their arguments, and orders Tenten to the Burn Unit.

* * *

Sakura slides the door open to the room, reading from the clipboard.

"Doctor?"

She startles a bit. She wasn't aware that he was awake. Sakura checks his vitals, even though the nurse has done so only half an hour ago, but she isn't sure why the hell she even came to this room in the first place. The surgery was successful. If any post-op complications rise up, Sakura would have been notified. Her visit seems rather pointless.

"All good?" he asks her lightly.

"Are you in any pain?" she asks instead.

The priest smiles. "A little," he replies. "But it's alright."

"Everything looks good," she tells him. "Make sure to take it easy, and follow the regime even when you return home."

"Yes, thank you."

Sakura hovers awkwardly. It's the middle of the night. "Happy New Year," she offers pathetically.

He takes it in stride. "Happy New Year, Doctor."

She rechecks the vitals, just so she'd have something to do.

"Everything is fine, Doctor," the man assures her, and she feels small again. Small and stupid.

"Right."

She places his clipboard back in its holder and walks to the door.

"Are you alright?" he calls out worriedly.

Sakura stops with her hand near the door's handle, and turns. He has pressed the button to raise the upper half of the bed, so that he can be in a sitting position.

"Yes," she says in the silence, but doesn't move to leave again. "Mind the stitches." She hesitates for a moment, even as he waits patiently, and throws all caution to the wind.

_Just because I'm not screaming does not mean I'm not hurting._

Sakura sits in the visitor's chair and locks her eyes with the man. The priest. The man of God. She never became religious, the way people around her did, because Kakashi and Uncle Obito taught her to believe in her own mind above all else.

"Why did you become a priest?" she asks.

He smiles. "Is that what you really want to ask?"

It's not. She lets the silence press on, and tries to focus on the _beep beep beep_ of the heart monitor, instead.

"Why did you become a doctor?" he asks her eventually.

This one is easy, she thinks. "Because my father told me that I'd be a good doctor."

And the man smiles a strange smile, an amused one, as if he's enjoying an internal joke with himself.

"The other doctor said that this is not your field," he continues curiously, still sporting the amused smile.

"It's not," she admits, shaking her head slightly. "I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon."

"Sounds complicated."

"It means that I operate on lungs, throat, and heart."

His smile becomes wider, and Sakura doesn't understand what the joke is. "You're a heart doctor, then."

She frowns, not liking the way he phrases it. It makes her feel stupid. "Yes. Among other things."

"Did your father tell you to become a heart doctor?" he raises his eyebrows.

"No. That was my decision."

He nods. "May I ask, why …?"

Sakura smiles a genuine smile, thinking about the rush and the thrill of her job. She's always enjoyed her choice, never once regretted it. "I hold hearts in my hand."

"I see." His eyes are crinkling in the corners. He has pretty blue eyes, Sakura absently notes.

"Why did you become a priest?" she asks again, and meaning it this time around.

"Because my father told me that I'd be a good priest."

Sakura thinks that maybe he's teasing her, repeating her own words back to her. "I'm serious."

"So am I, Doctor."

She gives up. Sakura gets to her feet, regretting to have started this conversation in the first place. She has no idea why she thought visiting her patient, who is a priest, in the middle of the night could have ever sounded like a good idea.

"You look sad," he calls out and Sakura stops once again at the door.

He's not smiling anymore. She bites her lip.

"I'm fine," she says, but doesn't leave this time, either.

"Keep me company," he invites so Sakura sits down in the chair again.

"I'm fine," she repeats even though he didn't ask.

"Alright."

They sit in silence with the _beep beep beep_ pressing between them.

"You know," he begins coolly. "Those boys weren't drunk."

Sakura startles. "What?"

He shrugs lightly, as if it's no big deal at all. "Those boys who did this – they weren't drunk."

"You should report that to the police," she reprimands, feeling angry with him, and on his behalf, both at the same time. "Father, that's not very nice. Actually, that's criminal."

"Call me Mr. Hagoromo," he tells her. "You're not a woman of belief, Doctor. It doesn't feel right for you to call me that."

Sakura shakes her head in disbelief. "That's hardly the point right now! I can call the police for you. They'll get the boys arrested."

"They were young and foolish," he dismisses it off-handedly.

"That's not an excuse."

"No?"

"No," she says firmly.

"Even so," he shrugs it away. "Our definitions of criminal are very different."

_Our definitions of stupid are very different._

"That's still not an excuse," she replies, not knowing which statement she is protesting – the priest's or –

_You were yourself, even if what you were scared you._

_Stop. Thinking!_

Something must have showed on her face, because the priest sobers up instantly, and is watching her carefully now.

"It's up to you," she adopts a casual tone, hoping to steer away from his meaningful eyes.

"Yes," he agrees. "It's up to me."

Silence. _Beep beep beep beep beep._

"Why did you become a priest?" she asks yet again.

"Because my father told me that I'd be a good priest," he repeats.

Sakura glares at him challengingly. "Yeah? Was your father also a priest?"

Clearly, his father must be dead. The man is 71 years old, according to his chart.

He seems amused again. Sakura is starting to feel seriously annoyed. "You can say that."

"I don't get it," she finally says, shaking her head at him. "How can you dedicate your life to someone you can't even see?"

"But I do see," he retorts.

"You know what I mean."

"Doctor," he says patiently. "You believe in what you see. And I believe in what I see. There is no right or wrong here. There are no upper hands here. I serve God, but I'm sitting in a hospital room right now. I've just had surgery. I'm not a fanatic to dismiss medicine because I know that medicine is essential to our survival, and I'm a priest because I also know that faith is just as essential to our survival."

"I'm not spiritual," she tells him.

"I'm not asking you to be."

"I believe in science."

"I'm aware."

"If faith is essential to survival, does that mean that I'm incomplete?"

He laughs suddenly. "That's the thing with people," he remarks with mirth. "Why does faith have to mean being spiritual? You can have faith in science."

"I do."

"There you go."

And Sakura once again wonders whether people become religious for the priest, and not the God.

"Why did you become a priest?"

The man doesn't laugh or smirk with amusement this time. He looks her in the eye, and holds it steadily.

"I chose to be," he answers. "When I was a child, I learned in school about how the Universe came into existence. We call it the Big Bang. I believe in the Big Bang. I really do. And I also believe that the Universe is one monumental living creature, and yes, I'm aware that living creatures must inherently possess the ability to move, breathe, eat, reproduce, and so on. I took my Biology classes rather seriously," he chuckles at himself.

"The Universe for me is a living creature, Doctor," he continues. "It may not breathe, eat, reproduce in the conventional way that we're used to on the planet. But it does move. The Universe is expanding rapidly by the second, you must know that. And it does breathe and eat and reproduce in its own strange way. It might not be the case, but I chose it to be my reality. I chose to see the patterns, the signs, the potential, and the spirit. The Universe is not made to be taken lightly, to be written down in mathematics that we created, to be dissected so we will learn its secrets. I chose to believe that the Universe is an extraordinary soul, despite our incessant need to prove it ordinary."

He looks her in the eye, and holds it steadily. "So tell me, Doctor, why did you become a doctor?"

Sakura forgets to breathe. _Beep beep beep_. "I saved a bird. It made me feel extraordinary, and I liked it very much."

* * *


	18. The Butterfly Effect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name is dedicated to the phenomenon called the Butterfly Effect, which states that a butterfly flapping its wings at a certain moment in time at a certain place can cause hurricanes in another part of the world.

Sakura checks the time. 9.10 PM.

She packs up her books, her laptop, and throws the comforter off her lap. She gets out of her bed, grabs a jacket, shrugs it on, and pulls open the door of her apartment.

Sakura pauses at the door of 10A. She takes a deep breath, and knocks on the door.

Sasuke opens it. “Hey!” he grins and pulls her in a hug. “I wasn’t sure whether you were home. We just got back. Happy New Year! You want some dinner?”

She pulls back, unable to stop herself from smiling. “Nah, I’m good. I already ate. I’ll have some wine, though.”

Sasuke moves aside so that she can enter. As soon as she crosses the threshold, she sees Itachi standing up from his desk chair, turning to her. Even as Sasuke goes to the kitchen to grab the wine, Sakura hesitates for a heartbeat, before she’s striding towards him and jumping into his arms.

Itachi holds her securely.

“Hi,” he says, smile pressed against her hair.

Sakura’s feet are still in the air. She tightens her arms around his neck. “Hi,” she chuckles. “Happy New Year!”

Itachi places her back on the ground, and shifts to look her in the face. His arms stay put, and Sakura doesn’t protest.

This is the first time she’s standing in front of him since the night in that desert. She still remembers the pain and the regret etched on his face, and she’s glad to see that he’s smiling down at her right now.

Sakura knows that she needs to talk to him, needs to address their conversation in some way. But it can wait. She’s missed him too much to be risking anything of that sort. All she wants is to sit and chat with them, have a piece of their daily routine back.

She drinks in his face as much as she can. It occurs to her that perhaps Itachi is made to be looked at.

“Itachi, what do you wanna eat?” Sasuke calls out from the kitchen.

Sakura throws one last apologetic smile at Itachi, before she joins Sasuke at the breakfast bar. She grabs the bottle of wine that he’s pulled out of the cupboard, and pours it in a glass for herself.

“You guys want some?” she asks.

“Yeah,” Sasuke affirms, still staring at his phone, scrolling through different restaurants to order from.

“Yeah, sure,” Itachi says from the couch. “And how about some pizza? It’s the quickest, and I miss it.”

Sasuke snorts. “Alright.” He places the order for it.

“By the way,” Sasuke pockets his phone and brings out a tin box. “This is for you. Mom made it.”

Sakura blinks in surprise. “Oh. Thanks. What is it?”

“Cookies,” he says. “She baked them this morning.”

Sakura opens the lid of the box and takes one. She bites into it and nearly moans. “Oh my god, this is so good.”

Sasuke smirks. “I know.”

“I can’t believe you grew up eating these!” she complains and finishes the cookie in three bites. “How are you not fat?”

Sasuke laughs and goes to grab one for himself. Sakura slaps his hand away. “Nuh uh. These are mine.”

“My mom made them. I have a right to them before you do.”

“She made them _for me_. You’ve had your share over Christmas.”

Sasuke manages to steal one, anyway, and quickly stuffs it in his mouth. Sakura narrows her eyes at him, shuts the lid of the box, and holds it possessively near her body.

“Oops,” Sasuke smirks after he swallows the last bit.

Sakura smirks back evilly. “How’s Naruto?” she asks in an innocent voice.

Expectedly, Sasuke blushes up a storm. “He’s fine.”

“Yeah? I bet he is.”

“Shut up,” he grumbles.

“Yeah,” Sakura drags out. “I don’t think so.”

Sasuke glares at her, still sporting a bright red face, and drinks his wine instead. Sakura smiles sweetly before joining Itachi on the couch.

“Why isn’t Naruto here, anyway?” she asks.

“He’s returning tomorrow,” Itachi replies. “Jiraiya paid a visit.”

Sakura remembers the man from Shikamaru and Temari’s wedding. He is large, tall, with long white hair, and tattoos on his face. Despite being in his fifties, the man can belt out powerful tunes.

“How was your holiday?” Sasuke asks. He’s sitting on the floor with legs stretched out in front of him.

Sakura tells them about Sai and Ino, about Tenten, and all the surgeries that she got to perform, and the variety of strange cases. She doesn’t tell them about the priest, though, wanting to keep it personal.

In return, they tell her about how much Konoha has changed, how they helped Mrs. Uchiha in the bakery due to the holiday rush, and Sakura thinks _Itachi wearing an apron to make pasteries_ , and then Sasuke ruins it – unintentionally, of course – by telling her about the New Year’s party at someone called Kimimaro’s house –

“The whole old gang was there,” Sasuke is telling her. “Ukon, Jirobo, Anko, Kurenai, Yamato, Izumi –”

Sakura tenses, throwing a quick glance at Itachi. His face is unreadable and he doesn’t offer any information.

“…and Granny Chiyo had come to the bakery, and she invited us for tea at her place. She was over the moon to see us again!”

“Who’s Granny Chiyo?” Sakura asks curiously.

“Oh!” Sasuke beams. “She’s Izumi’s grandmother. She’s been a regular at the bakery, though I suppose technically _everyone_ has been a regular – Konoha is a pretty small town. But well, that’s how Izumi became our friend in the first place. She’d come with Granny Chiyo every time.”

Sakura remembers all the cheesy romantic movies Uncle Obito made her watch growing up, and thinks how this sounds like one of those. _A little girl accompanying her Grandma to the bakery, and falling for the baker’s emotionally isolated elder son._

She tries, she really does, but jealousy courses through her and she struggles not to be obvious about it. _Jealous people are usually the most curious_. And then she mentally curses herself for letting Sai’s words get to her head.

Sasuke continues to regale the holidays and Sakura dutifully listens to every word. She doesn’t look much at Itachi, and he’s been quiet anyway, before leaving when the pizza gets there, announcing that she needs to wake up early next morning for work.

When she’s lying in her bed, her phone beeps. 11.38 PM. The text is from Itachi.

**Coffee in the morning?**

Sakura pauses. Itachi and she don’t really text much, they never had to since the other would be available at home, and she goes through their measly chat before replying.

_I can’t. Going in early for a surgery._

**Okay.**

Sakura thinks this is it, keeps the phone away, but it beeps again two minutes later, and she snatches it with heart pounding in her chest.

**Shouldn’t you be asleep?**

_I should be._

**But you’re not.**

_No, I’m not._

**Do you want to go for a walk?**

_Can we go up to the roof? I don’t feel like walking._

**Meet me in the hallway in five minutes.**

* * *

Sakura is bundled up in a sweater under a coat, and a thick scarf around her neck. The city is colder than ever. It doesn’t snow here, but it gets pretty close.

Itachi is wearing a thick coat, as well. He’s brought rum and silently offers it to her.

“It’ll warm you up,” he says.

Sakura takes it. They’re standing side by side against the compound wall, looking out over the city. It’s quiet, with white and yellow dotted streets, and a few moving vehicles here and there.

“Prepared for tomorrow?” she asks him.

Itachi is going on the television show, _Akatsuki_ , the next afternoon. She is hoping to catch the live broadcast during her lunch break.

“As much as I could be,” he answers.

“Good.”

“What kind of a surgery is it?” he asks after some time of silence.

Sakura bites her lip. She’s been studying it for hours now, and she feels a thrill every time she thinks about it. She’ll be assisting Dr. Orochimaru again.

“It’s a CABG – coronary artery bypass graft,” she grins, unable to stop her excitement from pouring out. “But the patient will be awake.”

Itachi’s neck snaps back in surprise. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

“It’s fairly new,” she tells him. “And rare.”

“How do you …?” he frowns in puzzlement.

She gets it. “We give the patient a localised anaesthesia.”

He looks impressed. “Sounds like a promising case.”

“It is,” she says, still grinning. “My name will go down in medical history along with Dr. Orochimaru’s.”

He smiles prettily. “To history,” he dips his head and raises the bottle of rum in her direction.

Sakura nods happily. “To history.”

Itachi takes a sip and hands it to her. “You seem … different,” he remarks.

Sakura drinks and then shrugs. The alcohol is working rather nicely. She’s starting to feel warm.

“I’m done,” she announces and hands back the bottle. “I can’t go hungover tomorrow.”

He chuckles and caps it instead. “Neither can I.”

“Why were you awake?” she asks.

Itachi smiles slightly. “No particular reason. What about you?”

“No particular reason.”

They stay for another fifteen minutes or so, before calling it a night. They hover in the hallway between their two apartments.

“Good luck,” she offers.

Itachi holds her gaze, as steady as always.

“I’ll see you after work directly,” she continues when he doesn’t respond.

He nods then, a slight dip of his head in acknowledgement of her words. Sakura tries not to fidget, but her chest is clenched painfully, and she’s tingly all over. _Must be the alcohol_ , she thinks.

She hesitates a little. She isn’t sure what’s going on, why the silence is not terrifying anymore but meaningful, and the world has narrowed down to him again. After a few moments, though, she walks towards him and wraps her arms around his neck, and pulls him down to her.

Itachi’s hands automatically hold her, and she breathes in the familiar mint soap.

“I missed you,” she says softly, and tries not to think about the future when he’d be gone, probably never to return. “I hope things go okay tomorrow.”

“They will,” he assures her just as gently. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Try not to get in trouble until then.”

Sakura chuckles and tightens her arms one more time, before pulling back, but not away. “I’ll try.”

Itachi is slightly smirking and the sight of it makes her feel _something_. She grins back.

* * *

Sakura’s morning surgery is successful, and she’s on her way to lunch – and Itachi’s live interview – when there’s an emergency case and she gets paged.

So she spends her afternoon in the operating room, repairing the left lung of a young woman in her twenties. It’s an accident, a slight error in judgement and the truck didn’t see her.

By the time Sakura becomes free, she’s hungry, and her feet are aching, and it is well into the evening. She changes out of her uniform before grabbing her phone. She sends Itachi a quick text.

_What happened? I got free just now._

It takes five heart-stopping minutes for him to respond. **Come home.**

* * *

When the elevator doors open on the tenth floor, Sakura stops in surprise at the loud chatter and laughter coming from 10A.

Feeling a thrill, she goes and rings the bell quickly.

Naruto throws the door open, beaming from ear-to-ear and envelopes her in a hug with a loud cheer.

Sakura laughs and she’s breathless by the time he lets her go and invites her in. There are about fifteen people in the room, eating and drinking and mingling. Sasuke bounds over to her, smiling the same smile as Naruto, and throws his arms around her.

“We did it!” he declares loudly, and spins her once for good measure. “He did it!”

Sasuke puts her back on the ground, looking happy beyond words. “He did it,” he repeats excitedly. “And I don’t mean just the interview, Sakura! The interview went perfectly, and our office phone starts to ring immediately –”

“And they’re all these huge companies,” Naruto positively vibrates. “Everyone wanting to book appointments to speak with Itachi, wanting to negotiate all kinds of deal! Can you believe it? We became the talk of the country overnight!”

“ _Overnight_ , Sakura!” Sasuke laughs incredulously. “The bastard really did it!”

“Where is he?” she asks, finding their happiness contagious.

Sasuke looks around and spots him just as Sakura does. He’s speaking with Hidan and Nagato in one corner, and Sakura wonders whether he realised that she’s here –

And he’s shooting her glances with a smirk on his face.

The laughter bubbles out of her because this day has been so _great_ and she really feels like dancing, just to get all this energy out of her. Instead, she strides towards Itachi, ignoring the fact that he’s busy, and he seems to be waiting for her because he opens his arms just as she jumps into them.

“Oh my god, you did it!”

“I told you that I would,” he reminds her with no heat behind the words.

“I know!”

She pulls back and sighs a long sigh. He looks truly happy.

Someone clears their throat and Sakura quickly moves away, remembering that his co-workers can see her throwing herself on their Boss. She feels the warm blush crawling up her neck, and excuses herself saying _I’ll get something to eat_.

Sakura stays with Naruto for most of the time, as he regales the interview word-by-word to her. At one point, Sasuke joins them and the way he wraps his arms around Naruto from behind, rests his chin on his shoulder – and Naruto doesn’t stop his story for even a second – has Sakura smiling throughout.

He even shows her the interview video. Sakura watches in fascination as Uncle Obito fires question after question at Itachi – who is dressed in a dark blue blue suit and black shirt, black rimmed glasses – and he answers each of them precisely and calmly. Itachi wasn’t kidding. He really did know the exact way to trace Danzo’s activities in all the companies. Of course, he didn’t have the time to explain about each and every company that Danzo ever sneaked in, but he did explain about four major ones, including Kizoshan, and pointed out the pattern for everyone. Like he had said, it is meant to start a conversation. From what she sees, there is absolutely no doubt that he succeeded.

The show runs beyond the designated one-hour period, when Uncle Obito receives the green signal to continue it, because even the producers don’t want to interrupt Itachi. Sakura can’t stop smiling by the time it gets over.

She’s surprised when Kakashi and Uncle Obito show up. Itachi invited them, they tell her, and how can they refuse when _their daughter lives across the hall?_

Just as she’s about to offer them a drink, Itachi comes over, smiling.

“Thank you so much for today!” he shakes Uncle Obito’s hand. “I couldn’t have done it without you and the _Akatsuki._ Danzo will think twice before messing with anyone again.”

“It’s no problem,” Uncle Obito chuckles. “Besides, it helped me, as well. I’m the journalist who led the interview to expose a powerful businessman in the country.”

“Well, since everyone is happy,” Kakashi says, a little dryly, “why don’t we eat? I was promised food, Itachi. Come on, now, get to it.”

Itachi nods and quickly leaves to go to the breakfast bar. As soon as he does, Kakashi throws her a wink. And Sakura remembers that they hadn’t asked her who the man was, when she broke down on Christmas Eve, simply because it was obvious. They haven’t prodded yet, and Sakura knows that it won’t last.

She sticks with the two of them after that. Itachi’s co-workers – she’d met them during the birthday party – Konan, Kakuzu, Hidan, Yahiko, Tobi, Deidara, Zetsu, Nagato, Sasori, they all make small talk with her, and she congratulates them in return. Sasori sits with her for a bit, and Deidara comes at one point to tell her _I told you so_ while nodding towards Sasuke and Naruto.

By the time the clock hits 11, Sakura is tired. Uncle Obito and Kakashi bid her goodbye, and the co-workers start to trickle out of the apartment slowly, as Itachi reminds them all that they have to _work extra harder because we have a lot to do now_.

It’s almost quarter to midnight when it’s just the four of them – and they’re lazying around, too tired to hold proper conversations any longer. She’s sitting with her feet in Sasuke’s lap. Naruto is stretched out on the floor, and Itachi is in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess slowly.

“By the way,” Itachi calls out from where he is collecting the plastic cups. “Samui called me today.”

“Great,” Sakura mutters lowly. Then louder, “What did she want? Didn’t you threaten her that last time?”

He shrugs. “She wanted to thank me. She saw the interview today.”

Sasuke raises his eyebrows sceptically. “Really?”

“Hard to believe,” Naruto grumbles from his spot.

“Yeah, well,” Itachi says. “I told her she deserved it.”

There’s a moment of silence before Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto start giggling.

She doesn’t realise when she falls asleep, but Itachi is shaking her awake, looking thoroughly amused.

Sakura jolts up to sit in surprise. Sasuke and Naruto are nowhere to be seen.

“What time is it?” she croaks out.

“You need to stop falling asleep at random places,” he says instead, still standing, smirking down at her.

“Whatever,” she sighs. Her phone is in her pocket, and she pulls it out. 1.23 AM. “Fuck. Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?”

Itachi shrugs casually. “Naruto left just ten minutes ago.”

She rubs at her eyes and stretches out her back. “Give me a minute. I’m going.”

“I didn’t say anything,” he points out.

Sakura rolls her eyes. She blinks a few times to get the sleep out of her system, and stretches a few more times for good measure. Meanwhile, Itachi has gone over to pull out a bottle of wine.

“You want to drink? Now?” she eyes him wearily.

“I don’t see any problem with it. It’s a day of celebration.”

“I’ve never seen you drunk,” she says with sudden wonder.

He smirks. “Do you want to?”

“Yes,” she replies in an instant.

“On one condition,” he holds up a finger. “You’ll have to get drunk with me.”

Sakura stares, a thrill running up her body. She doesn’t have to get into work early tomorrow. He does, but he must have thought about it, so she grins. “Done.”

* * *

They don’t go to the roof. They sit on the couch with a bottle of wine and a bottle of rum, and Itachi found some snacks in one of the cupboards. She asks him about the interview, even though she’s already heard it from Naruto, already seen the video of it, but she wants to know from him, and doesn’t regret it when he looks so happy to be doing it.

“What about your surgery?” he asks after he’s done.

So Sakura tells him all about it, and then about the young woman, the reason why she couldn’t watch the interview live.

And Sakura feels it. The whole time, ever since he returned from Konoha, she’s felt it. A different atmosphere between them, wherein the quiet is not terrifying but comfortable and nervous, wherein the eye contact says much more than their words, wherein every movement is jerky and as though they’re both holding back from doing something _more_.

And Sakura knows it, too. She knows that she needs to talk to him, needs to address their conversation, needs to know _what next?_ The thought is paralyzing so she doesn’t.

But now they’re both slightly drunk. And Sakura doesn’t have such qualms anymore.

“Itachi,” she begins at one point in the night.

“Yeah?”

They’re sitting on the floor with their backs against the couch. “I don’t want you to leave.”

He rolls his head towards hers lazily. “Why not?”

Sakura sighs sadly. “Because I want you here,” she says and feels like Sai.

He narrows his eyes. “What for?”

“What do you mean ‘what for’?” she frowns. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know,” he says seriously. “You never really told me how you feel.”

Even in her drunken state, she can’t say the words outloud, so she doesn’t say anything at all. She gulps instead, and gets to her feet, realising that this has been a huge, _huge_ mistake. Itachi quickly scrambles up, as she starts stalking towards the front door.

“Sakura? Where are you going?”

She stops. “Home, genius.”

He comes to stand in front of her and pouts slightly. “So soon?”

“It’s the middle of the night.”

“Is it because I pointed out that you never told me how you feel?”

She stares back. “No,” she eventually says. “No.”

“I think it is.”

Silence.

She turns around and opens the door.

“Sakura –”

He grabs her elbow before she can take a single step out, and spins her around. It doesn’t take much because she’s already changed her mind, and then Itachi is pulling her close, his arms wrapping around her waist –

And then he’s kissing her.


	19. Petrichor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name is dedicated to the sense called petrichor, the pleasant smell that accompanies the first rains.

Sakura joins Ino for lunch.

"Hey."

"Look who's here," Ino smirks at her. "The famous surgeon who made history."

Sakura chuckles. "Part of history," she corrects her. "This wasn't the first time this surgery was pulled off, and Dr. Orochimaru is the leading surgeon on the case."

Ino rolls her eyes. "Take the credit, Dr. Haruno!" she scolds.

"Fine, fine. Thank you, Dr. Yamanaka. Did Sai return to Kiri?"

Ino sighs suddenly. "Yes."

"You look depressed," Sakura remarks.

"I look sad," Ino corrects her semantics. "And that's because I feel sad."

Sakura rolls her eyes, and wonders for a moment whether Sai is rubbing off on _everyone_ around here. It won't exactly be the worst thing, she supposes. Everyone needs one Sai in their lives, after all.

"You, on the other hand," Ino narrows her eyes and points the bright pink straw at Sakura, "are positively glowing."

She tries, she really does, but Sakura blushes up a storm in two seconds flat, and avoids Ino's critical stare as much as possible.

_His smile pressed against her bare shoulder –_

_Her hands in his hair, pulling at it –_

_"Sakura," the almost growl –_

"It's nothing!" Sakura says in a rush. "I'm fine."

Ino looks even more suspicious. "I know that you're _fine_. I can see that. But you're almost as pink as your hair right now. Something definitely happened."

 _Something_ is an understatement of the century, she thinks.

"It's nothing," Sakura insists. "I mean, okay, not _nothing_. But – just not right now."

"Wow," Ino stares. "Okay. Chill the fuck out."

Sakura levels a flat stare at her.

* * *

It's evening and Sakura is still at the hospital. She is sitting in the resident's lounge for a short break, rolling her neck, stretching out her limbs, hydrating, and trying not to –

_"How did you get that?" he asks, pausing near her knees –_

_And Sakura traces his hipbone with light fingers –_

_"Don't stop," he –_

Sakura groans loudly in the empty room, burying her face in her hands.

* * *

Sakura returns to her apartment in the middle of the night. She isn't sure whether to be disappointed or glad that she didn't see Itachi or Sasuke today.

She reheats the chicken in the microwave and sips on water until it's done. Sakura sits at her breakfast table with her plate of food and finally checks her phone.

There are two texts from Kakashi, one from Uncle Obito, and three from Itachi, one from Shizune, and 10 on her work group. She reads through the work related ones first – a reminder that Dr. Otsutsuki Kaguya – the founder of the Otsutsuki Medicine award, will be visiting the hospital next week, and there's going to be a function in her honor. Otsuksuki Medicine is the most prestigious award in their community. Sakura knows that her Chief, Dr. Senju Tsunade, has received three of them until now, and Dr. Orochimaru has received one.

Sakura doesn't know how to feel about the visit, though. She's never given it a thought before, never really wondered whether she wants to be aiming for the prestigious honour of the award. She should be, she thinks. As a part of the community, and as a doctor, maybe she should be. Although, if she's completely honest, Sakura believes that her highest privilege would be to someday assist Dr. Tsunade, and learn the ropes from her. Sakura wants to be a Chief of Surgery, and she wants to be the best one out there.

Kakashi has sent her, **We need to talk,** and after five minutes, **About your neighbour, in case I'm not clear.** Sakura snickers.

She opens Uncle Obito's text that reads **Don't worry. Kakashi is just being protective. We love Itachi!**

Sakura laughs outloud. Then she reads Shizune's message – a forwarded news article that wrote about the CABG she'd assisted Dr. Orochimaru with, and **Oh my god, I'm so proud of you!**

She's saved Itachi's texts for the last, and she finally opens them, smiling and nervous and tingly.

**You should have waited for coffee.**

**I feel used.**

**Oh come on, are you avoiding me now? You're not even here for dinner.**

Sakura starts to feel guilty. She hasn't been avoiding him, per se, but she could have checked her phone during the breaks and she decided not to – so maybe she's avoiding him _just a little._

She locks her phone without replying him. It's the middle of the night, she tells herself. He wouldn't be awake right now, anyway.

* * *

Sakura is pacing a hole through her living room. It's a Sunday. Itachi and Sasuke are home. It's 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and she's been pacing for almost an hour now.

She woke up at around eleven, brushed, took a shower, ate a brunch meal with her usual coffee, and gave up on trying not to think about it.

Okay, so Sakura isn't a virgin. Of course, she isn't. She's dated before. Granted, her sex life hasn't exactly been noteworthy, but whenever she was dating, she has had an active one, at least. So yes, sex isn't the issue here. She's not worried about that bit.

 _Sex with Itachi_ , on the other hand …

Sakura can safely admit that it was as much of a drunken encounter as it was _let's just do it because I can't take this anymore_ logic. And it was good. Great, in fact. Like _really_ great.

But she did sneak out in the morning before Itachi woke up. And she isn't sure whether Sasuke heard them through the wall or not. They were drunk and not exactly quiet.

Sakura paces for another half an hour, drinks another cup of coffee just to do something, tries to read one of her medical books, and again gives up on trying not to think about it.

_She bites her lip as his hand moves –_

_"Itachi –!"_

_He buries his face in her neck and she tightens her hold –_

It's six thirty in the evening when there's a knock on her door. With heart pounding in her chest, she peeps through the hole, and again isn't sure whether to be glad or disappointed that it's Hinata on the other side.

"Long time," Hinata grins as she enters the apartment, carrying a brown paper bag. "I come bearing gifts."

They lay out the food on the breakfast table, and Hinata refuses alcohol. Sakura shrugs and takes a seat.

Hinata went to visit Neji in Iwa after the wedding. She returned two days ago, not wanting to keep the shop shut for such a long time. Temari and Shikamaru will be returning on the next day from their long honeymoon. Temari had mentioned that they might stay in Suna for a bit with her parents.

Hinata asks her about her holidays and Sakura sums it up for her. Then she asks how Neji is doing, and Hinata says that he might be moving to Suna to be with his boyfriend.

They make light conversation for a while, and then Hinata can't take it anymore, it seems, because she asks Sakura directly.

"What happened during the wedding?"

Sakura carefully masks her face, playing with her food with the fork. "What do you mean?"

Hinata doesn't budge. Simply stares kindly. "You and Itachi disappeared for a bit. And when you returned, you didn't look so good. You left the party as soon as Shika and Tema left, as if you didn't want to stay a second longer. What happened?"

Sakura bites her lip and shrugs. "Just … stuff."

"Sakura," Hinata says patiently, "you can tell me. I know that things have been strange between you and Itachi. Everyone has noticed. We just didn't want to say anything at that time."

"You did?"

"Of course. We're not blind."

And Sakura thinks back to all the times that could warrant their friends' suspicions. It could have been the Bachelor-n-ette party, perhaps, when they were dancing at the club.

"I don't know what's happening," Sakura admits shyly. She has never spoken about her feelings for Itachi with anyone before, and breaking down in front of her fathers _doesn't_ count, so she has no idea what to even say or where to even begin.

"Do you like him?" Hinata prods gently.

Sakura almost laughs at that. _Like him?_ If _liking_ him means to constantly think about him, wanting to be with him as much as possible, missing him when he visits his hometown to the point of it being physically painful, being content just to be sitting by his side, listening to him speak about everything from routine and mundane complaints to the wonders of Mount Everest, to looking at the stars and thinking _he's made of star stuff because it's fitting_ , to wanting to be the person he can call _home_ –

_When Sakura was ten years old, she asked Kakashi and Uncle Obito, "Dad, why are you two not married like the rest of the couples?"_

_Uncle Obito choked on his water, and Kakashi thumped him on the back, smiling sheepishly at her. "We're not a couple, doll."_

_"But you two are living together and raising a daughter. You don't have partners of your own. That's a very couple like thing to do."_

_"Even friends can do that," Uncle Obito reassured her._

_"Oh. So you two are just friends?"_

_Kakashi rubbed his nose. "Yes. Although, I wouldn't just say that."_

_Sakura frowned at him with disapproval. She'd seen those looks. Did they think that she never noticed? "Then what would you say?"_

_"He's my home. Just like you are."_

Family, she always justified in her head, and never questioned him directly again, until Christmas Eve when she asked Kakashi _have you never been in love?_

"I wouldn't just say that," she repeats Kakashi's words to Hinata, and doesn't offer more.

Hinata doesn't push on it. Instead, she asks, "Are things okay now?"

And Sakura thinks –

_She woke up before him with her face against his neck. Their legs were tangled together, and his arms were secured around her._

"I don't know," she answers honestly. "I'm sort of avoiding him."

Hinata's eyebrows shoot up with surprise. "I thought you guys celebrated the interview? Naruto told me. He said you were there."

"I was," Sakura says awkwardly. "Something happened after that."

Hinata's eyebrows rise even further. "Oh?"

"So yeah, I'm sort of avoiding him," Sakura says in a rush. "I don't know what to do now. Nothing has changed, has it? The circumstances are still the same as they were, and they're going to be the same tomorrow and the next day and the next."

"Sakura, what happened?"

And then Sakura can't hold it back, because Hinata looks genuinely worried, and she is the person who told her that being a doctor is about _having a strong spirit as well._ Hinata hasn't moved on from Kiba, because she isn't sure herself, because she has the tiny hope – still – that Kiba might return to her.

Sakura ends up spilling her guts. She tells her that Itachi will leave one day, and she isn't sure what that would mean, what she wants it to mean. She tells her that waiting for him to return might sound good in theory but she can't imagine it being practical. She doesn't go into explicit details – just the gist of the issue that has been plaguing her – because the rest is just too personal, just too _Itachi_ , and she doesn't want to share him with anyone else.

Hinata listens to her patiently, and waits until she's done speaking.

"How long will you avoid him for?" she asks directly.

"I don't know," Sakura answers, feeling small.

"I think that you should speak with him as soon as possible," she says bluntly. "You're hiding, Sakura. It's unbecoming of you."

"I don't think that I'm ready for it just yet," Sakura defends.

Hinata heaves a long sigh. "But you said that he might leave, and you don't know when that would be. Don't you think that time is of essence here? I don't mean to push you, I really don't, but you will regret not sorting this through in time. I understand that you don't want to wait around forever, and maybe he feels the same? You should find out. You won't know what to do until you understand what he wants, too."

And Sakura knows that Hinata is right, realises that she hasn't given Itachi the chance to explain what his expectations are. Their conversation on the wedding night only established that Itachi doesn't want to stay her friend, might leave one day, and Sakura doesn't want to.

_You never really told me how you feel._

Shit.

* * *

As soon as Hinata leaves, Sakura gears up her mind. She shoots a quick text to Itachi. _Can you meet me outside?_

He replies ten minutes later. **Sure. I'll be down in twenty.**

Sakura spends the time checking her appearance in the mirror, pacing some more, playing around with her phone, before finally going outside the apartment building to wait for him.

It's nine thiry, not that late, so there are still people on the streets, cars on the roads. When Itachi steps out of the main lobby, Sakura is leaning against her car that is parked nearby. He's dressed in a pair of dark denim pants, a black hood, and a dark green jacket over it. He's wearing his glasses tonight, and his hair is tied in a messy bun in the back. Even with all the layers on him, Sakura thinks about the smattering of freckles between his shoulder blades, the smooth panes of his abdomen, and how the back of his knees is very ticklish.

Itachi approaches her with visible apprehension, and Sakura feels guilty to have avoided him without an explanation.

"You up for a car ride?" she asks when he reaches her.

He isn't smirking or scowling, or looking irritated. Instead, he shrugs lightly, as though none of this matters to him, as though he's already accepted that Sakura doesn't have anything nice to say, and he'll just have to roll with it.

Sakura realises yet again that she really took him for granted, that she really did not treat him well. And it _hurts_.

They drive in tense, awkward silence. Sakura parks in one of the many empty spots, and steps out. Itachi follows quietly.

They're at the pier, the one that Sasuke loves. Sakura used to visit it sometimes, while growing up, but the visits dwindled eventually, and then she didn't have any reason to come anymore. There are hardly any people present, and Sakura leads him to a quiet corner, to lean against the railing and watch the ocean under the night sky.

She allows the sound of the water to take up space between them, until she has gathered her thoughts enough to speak coherently.

"I'm sorry," she begins and turns to Itachi. He doesn't face her, though. So Sakura talks to his side profile. "For leaving in the morning without saying anything. You deserve better than that."

Silence. He doesn't even look at her. His jaw is clenched, and Sakura realises finally that he's angry with her.

"And I'm sorry for leaving the wedding in a hurry, too. But I needed some time, some space to think. When you said all those things … I couldn't accept it. I felt like I didn't deserve them."

Now, he frowns, so Sakura at least knows that he's listening.

"I always thought that being like everyone else around me will make me happier. That if I blend in, I won't feel so alone as I did in school and college. And when you said all that, you made me sound like someone I didn't even know existed. You made me sound so wonderful, I didn't know what to do with it. I mean, here I was, trying to fit in, and you basically stripped me down naked."

Itachi finally turns still sporting the frown. Sakura takes that as encouragement.

"After you left, I worked through it. I reached a point where I could accept myself the way I was, the way you made me sound, because I _wanted_ to deserve it. I wanted it to be all true, what you said."

She takes a deep, steadying breath, and lets it out slowly. Speaking her mind is harder than she'd expected it to be, and realises – yet again – that Itachi had done this, and she had run away.

"But … it still doesn't change the fact that you will leave."

Itachi stares at her, hard and deep. Finally, he asks, "What do you want, Sakura?"

She bites her lip. "I want … you. I want to be with you. I don't want to stay your friend, either." And now that she's saying it, she can't stop, the words spilling out of her hurriedly, as though they've been waiting a long time for this moment and now that it's here –

"Itachi, you're my best friend, the one I want to tell all my secrets to, the one I want to come home to after a long day. I know that it's not possible. And I thought that it will change my mind. That I wouldn't entertain the idea of being with you, if I don't get to do that. But I've realised that it doesn't matter. I want you to chase everything that you've ever wanted in life. I want you to be happy. And I also want to be there when you come home, because I want to listen to all the stories, all the wonders of the world. I want to sit with you on the roof at night and hear about your visits to all the places. I want to be someone you can come back for.

"I know that you won't leave tomorrow. That we have tonight, at the very least, and I wouldn't want anything else but to be spending it with you, doing whatever.

"You said that I helped you in realising your dreams from childhood. So how can I stand in the way of that? That would be awfully ironic. And not just that – _you_ showed me that there is nothing wrong to be yourself, even if that means being set apart from others. It just means that you're meant to be set apart, that you're meant to stand out.

"I want you," she repeats. "I don't know whether you want the same because I didn't exactly give you a chance to explain –"

She doesn't get to finish because he's kissing her then, stealing the words from her mouth before they can be formed.

"I want it," he mumbles against her lips. "All of it. What you said."

"You do?" she smiles.

"Yes." He kisses her again.

* * *


	20. Far From Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter name is dedicated to MCU’s Spider Man: Far from Home.

“Come on,” Naruto groans loudly, hiding his face in his hands. Sasuke snickers at him when there’s white flour all over his fiancé.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Sasuke tells him and shows him how to knead the dough properly.

Sakura is sitting on the counter, with her legs dangling in air. “This is taking too long,” she complains.

Itachi shoots her a glare from where he is grabbing the tray from the huge oven, wearing mitts, and an apron around his hips. His hair is tied in a bun, black-rimmed glasses – he’s begun using it regularly now – and there are all kinds of baking ingredients splattered on his body.

“You’re not even doing anything,” he snaps at her. “You don’t get to complain.”

The kitchen is quite hot, she tells herself. The kitchen is hot and that’s why she’s all hot under her collar. Itachi has nothing to do with it.

Sakura smiles sweetly at him, knowing it will irritate him even further. He rolls his eyes and ignores her existence after that. She gets bored soon, sitting and complaining, so she leaves the kitchen to join the others in the front.

Temari and Hinata are wiping down the tables. Shikamaru is putting up Christmas bobbles around the ceiling. Mrs. Uchiha is outside the entrance door, speaking with an old lady.

“Sakura,” Hinata calls out. “Can you get the mop from the back?”

She nods and heads towards the broom closet just behind the kitchen entrance.

Mrs. Uchiha’s bakery is small, like Itachi had told her. It has enough space to fit ten tables, the main counter, and the kitchen in the back. Mrs. Uchiha, on the other hand, is nothing like it. She’s a kind woman, with black hair and black eyes like the rest of the Uchiha family, a smile that makes you want to cry and spill everything to her. She’s also tall, and it’s obvious that Itachi got it from her, even though Sasuke got the face.

Sakura thinks that Mr. Uchiha is every bit _police_ as one can get. He’s a stiff person, disciplined, and expects nothing less than greatness from everyone around him. He’s a proud person, and Sakura understands why he wanted to put Itachi in the school for gifted individuals. And Sakura also understands why Mrs. Uchiha wouldn’t have wanted that.

 _Both had it right in their own way, I suppose,_ Itachi had said. He was right, as always.

Sakura tries to hand the mop to Hinata, but she shakes her head and frowns. “You’re free, aren’t you?”

She sighs. She really doesn’t feel like doing anything. She thinks that maybe she should be feeling guilty, because everyone else is pulling their weight, but she doesn’t care at the moment.

Nonetheless, she starts to mop without further complaints.

Kimimaro enters the bakery at one point, looking haggard and wild. “We have a problem.”

Shikamaru addresses him. “What happened?”

“The flowers are taking too long,” he says. “They won’t come in time.”

“How long?” Hinata asks, frowning.

“They said they hit some road block. Holiday rush.”

“Let me see,” she says and takes out her phone to call. She walks outside the bakery for better reception – or maybe to yell.

“Are the others prepared?” Temari asks Kimimaro.

“Yeah,” he confirms. “They’re at the venue, getting together everything in time.”

“Good. We’ll be done soon, too. Can you take Naruto and Sasuke away? They’re still in the kitchen, helping out Itachi and Mrs. Uchiha.”

Kimimaro nods and heads behind the counter.

Hinata returns. “Sorted. What’s next?”

Sakura, Temari, Shikamaru exhchange a look. The bakery is set up like Mrs. Uchiha wanted. Kimimaro will take care of the men. And there are two hours left for the ceremony.

They drag Itachi from the kitchen, remind Mrs. Uchiha that it’s time to close for the moment, and decide to go to Itachi’s house along with Sasuke and Kimimaro.

* * *

Naruto walks down the aisle with Minato and Kushina, all three of them vibrating with happiness in similar fashion. Itachi and Sakura walk next, Hinata and Kimimaro after them, Temari and Shikamaru are the last of the wedding party, before Sasuke walks down with Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha to join Naruto at the alter.

The ceremony is short and sweet. Sakura can’t stop grinning throughout.

The reception is at the bakery. Sasuke was right. Konoha is a pretty small town where everyone knows everyone. The backyard is beautifully lit with Jiraiya’s baritone in the background, and people swaying languidly under the large tent.

Sakura is with Hinata, when a woman with brown hair, taller than her, and soft voice approaches them. Sakura tenses slightly, and Hinata nudges her arm lightly.

“Hi,” Izumi smiles. “We haven’t gotten the chance to properly meet yet. I’m Izumi.”

Sakura offers a stiff smile. “Hi. Sakura.”

Izumi smiles wider. “I know. You’re pretty famous, Dr. Haruno.”

Sakura doesn’t know what to say to that so she doesn’t.

“Are you staying until New Years?” Izumi continues in the same soft voice.

“No,” Sakura shakes her head. “I’m leaving tomorrow. Can’t miss work during the holidays.”

The Drunken Surgeries. Sakura can’t wait to see what’s on the menu this time.

“You sound like Itachi,” Izumi laughs softly. “Is he heading back with you?”

“Yes,” Sakura replies, feeling awkward. “He has to leave again right after New Years.”

“Right, right. Well, it’s very nice to finally meet you, Sakura.”

“You, too.”

When Izumi leaves, Hinata raises her eyebrows, and Sakura shrugs at her. Naruto and Sasuke are still dancing away in their own bubble. Sakura searches for Itachi and finds him speaking with Shikamaru and Anko.

She goes to him, feeling a rush of déjà vu, interrupting the Best Man during a wedding.

Itachi sees her coming and opens his right arm. Sakura wraps her hands around his waist automatically and he pulls her close.

He offers her his glass of champagne.

“How’s married life for you, Sakura?” Anko smirks at her. “Itachi was just telling us how much he loved Iceland, and can’t wait to visit again.”

Sakura beams at her. “We have our moments, Anko. I can’t wait to remove weird stuff from inside human bodies once I go back to work.”

Shikamaru snorts, and Anko looks disgusted at the image. Sakura sips at the champagne and immediately spits it out.

“What’s wrong?” Itachi frowns.

“Nothing,” she replies quickly, mentally going over _everything_ from the last few days.

Itachi proposed to her during one of their trips three years ago in Uzbekistan. They were in an abandoned ship on a tiny island, an empty tourist spot. There was sand between their toes, hundreds of stars above their heads, and it felt like standing at the edge of the world, the silence surrounding them, and Itachi was wearing a loose white shirt, flip flops, and knee length shorts. His sunkissed hair was in a messy bun, black-rimmed glasses, the necklace – a permanent jewellery now – on his caramel throat.

The wedding ceremony was huge. A destination wedding on the beaches of Malibu, in fact. Kakashi and Uncle Obito walked her down the aisle, and Itachi was standing at the end of it in a white tux. _I respect Queen Victoria as much as the women do,_ he’d smiled goofily at her. 

_You know what they say about the sands._

As they eat at Sasuke and Naruto’s wedding in Konoha, Sakura wonders how this will work for them. Itachi is still the CEO, but his team is so large that he doesn’t have to stay and take care of every little thing. He’s finally appointed himself a secretary when he realised that he can’t attend every event when he’s on the road, traveling wherever. Sakura, on the other hand, is an Attendant. She doesn’t have to slave as much, but she still tries to snag as many surgeries as possible because Dr. Tsunade is _this_ close to retiring and Sakura cannot miss this opportunity. She knows that she’s well on the list to be selected, she’s already applied as a candidate, and her chances are pretty good.

As Izumi had said, _you’re pretty famous, Dr. Haruno_.

* * *

Sakura stares at the counter. She keeps staring for a good ten minutes, until Itachi knocks on the bathroom door to ask if everything is okay.

“Yeah. Be out in a minute.”

She steps out and hears Itachi in the kitchen. She walks around their bedroom nervously, trying to work out the energy and the adrenalin rush. It helps a little because the bedroom is quite spacious with a king sized bed, large walk-in closet, a small couch, a working desk – Itachi’s because Sakura has a separate study room, all tastefully decorated by a famous designer. There’s a wide balcony to the right, looking out over the city, complete with a patio set and potted plants.

Sakura supposes that finances are hardly the concern.

Itachi is setting out plates on the dining table when she finally comes out. Sakura watches him a little, moving around the space, black-rimmed glasses, hair in a bun, casual home clothes, and thinks –

“I think you’re going to be a father.”

He freezes and slowly looks up at her. “What?”

“You heard me, genius.”

“Say it again.”

So Sakura repeats it, enunciating each and every syllable clearly, and it doesn’t help all that much because he’s staring at her so blankly that she wonders whether she should hit him.

“Life just became domestic, Mr. Uchiha,” she tells him when he doesn’t respond. “You up for that?”

Itachi finally smirks a small smirk, and says, trying to be cool and casual and failing miserably, “Life just became extraordinary, Dr. Haruno. Are _you_ up for that?”

And Sakura laughs, feeling _something_ for this man, and Itachi joins her, picking her up and spinning in circles.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, at last. I’d like to thank everyone who followed the story, favourite-d it, wrote those wonderful reviews, and read the story – and everyone who will ever read the story in future.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this short journey as much as I enjoyed writing it. I truly am grateful for all the encouragement, support, and love that you have showed the characters and me. 
> 
> Much love and always,  
> StarsAndCrows

**Author's Note:**

> The story is on FF as well.  
> Daily updates.  
> Do let me know your thoughts in the review! :)


End file.
